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Heroes Are Gang Leaders: Flukum

By Angelo Leonardi
February 22, 2018
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Continua l'attività del collettivo artistico afro-americano Heroes Are Gang Leaders, fondato dal poeta Thomas Sayers Ellis e dal sassofonista James Brandon Lewis. Il clima espressivo ricorda simili esperienze degli anni sessanta e settanta senza essere strettamente legato all'estetica del free jazz; ricalca i precedente The Avant-Age Garde I AMs of the Gal Luxury e Highest Engines Near / Near Higher Engineers con una musica strettamente integrata al canto o alla recitazione di testi a contenuto sociale.

I brani includono anche riferimenti al soul, al funk e al rap, ovvero all'ampio spettro dell'arte musicale popolare afro-americana. Stavolta non è presente il chitarrista Thurston Moore, noto esponente del gruppo Sonic Youth, che apportava in qualche brano un denso clima noise-rock ma resta il significativo il ruolo di James Brandon Lewis, spesso in libera improvvisazione sui testi recitati.

Il clima denso —spesso vibrante e fortemente partecipato —fa affiorare ricordi della Sun Ra Arkestra o del BAG di St. Louis.

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Critico musicale interessato agli aspetti socio-antropologici del jazz

Track Listing

We Free Singers Be; Eth; Some of the Ones of Us Our Enemies Did Not Create; The Love Space Space Demands; Letters from the Locked Away; Hard Rock, U.S.A.; Television Speaks; Welcome Back, Mr. K; Flukum.

Personnel

Heroes Are Gang Leaders

band / ensemble / orchestra

Ryan T. Frazier: trumpet, keyboards; James Brandon Lewis: tenor saxophone, strings, words; Luke Stewart: bass; Janice Lowe: keyboards, voice; Devin Brahja Waldman: keyboards, alto saxophone; Warren “Trae” Crudup: drums; Margaret Morris, Thomas Sayers Ellis, Randall Horton: beet juice excited, words, vocals; Ailish Hopper, Crystal Good: poem, voice; Joey De Jesus: poem; Nikky Finney: words.

Album information

Title: Flukum | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: Self Produced

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