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CD/LP/TRACK REVIEW

Kendrick Scott Oracle: We Are The Drum

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While drummer Kendrick Scott's namesake outfit--Kendrick Scott Oracle--has been around in some form since 2006, it's a band that's really come into its own in the last few years. With the arrival of Conviction (Concord Records, 2013), Scott made a major statement on a high-visibility label; jazz listeners and critics both took note. With We Are The Drum, his debut for the storied Blue Note imprint, he raises the bar even higher, melding complex ideas and completely accessible sounds.

CATCHING UP WITH

Kendrick Scott and His Convictions

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Everybody sings the praises of Kendrick Scott. The New York Times quickly named him as one of “Five Drummers Whose Time Is Now." On the drums, he transforms into a masterful and exquisite sonic architect whose work is filled with imaginative capacity. Yet Scott is what they call a triple threat--filling roles not only as a drummer, but also as a striking composer and band leader. His latest album, Conviction, featuring his band Oracle, illuminates work that is ...

CD/LP/TRACK REVIEW

Kendrick Scott Oracle: Conviction

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From the selfless prayer in the opening track to the sampled words of wisdom from martial arts great Bruce Lee in the track “Be Water," drummer Kendrick Scott's Conviction is an extension of self-motivated and thoughtful music that was witnessed in his 2007 debut The Source on his fledgling World Culture Music label. There is a sense of purpose here that is demonstrated throughout the appropriately titled release. More than a sideman, Scott's fresh playing has heightened ...

INTERVIEWS

Kendrick Scott: Conviction of a Jazz Oracle

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Kendrick Scott, considered by many as one of the most gifted drummers of his generation and trusted on stage by peers such as trumpeter Terence Blanchard, is ready to take the spotlight as a bandleader once more with his third studio project. This is a record about a true desire to act as an instrument of peace and a heart full of faith and realizations; a jazz musician telling his own story as he perceives it--and as his band members ...

LIVE REVIEWS

Iridium Double Bill: E.J. Strickland and Kendrick Scott

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E.J. Strickland Quintet & Kendrick Scott OracleThe IridiumNew York, New YorkMarch 3, 2010 This article will not be about the music. The music was great, as is to be expected from the two bands on the bill at the Iridium on this night. Group 1: E.J. Strickland (leader), Marcus Strickland, Tim Green, Luis Perdomo, Ben Williams. Killer. Group 2: Kendrick Scott (leader), Ben Wendel, Mike Moreno, Aaron Parks, Harish Ragavan. Spacey, but equally killer. MVP ...

PODCAST

Kendrick Scott: Visiting The Source

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On the new episode of The Jazz Session, Jason Crane interviews drummer and composer Kendrick Scott. Scott's new album with his band Oracle is The Source (World Culture Music, 2007). Scott grew up in Houston, surrounded by a musical family and the Baptist church. He knew from an early age that he wanted to be a musician, and he followed this path from Houston's arts high school to Berklee and then into gigs with The Crusaders and Terence ...

CD/LP/TRACK REVIEW

Kendrick Scott Oracle: The Source

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The first time I saw Kendrick Scott, he wasn't supposed to be there. Eric Harland was a no-show for the Terence Blanchard Sextet's 2003 gig at the Skidmore Jazz Institute (a summer program that counts Scott as an alumnus), so Scott filled in, and acquitted himself admirably. When Terence Blanchard's Flow tour came to Albany in 2005, three weeks after Katrina wiped out Blanchard's home, Scott was a permanent member of one of the best jazz groups I've seen to ...

INTERVIEWS

Kendrick Scott: Oracle for Good Music

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Kendrick Scott, at 26, is already one of the very finest drummers on the jazz scene, possessing an open mind, a beautiful feel for melody and tasty style that fits a myriad of situations. He's been working steady with major jazz artists since the day he graduated from Berklee College of Music in 1998. He's grateful for it, but thoughtful about the situation and aware of the consequences that can occur with both ego and complacency. But those attributes don't ...

CD/LP/TRACK REVIEW

Kendrick Scott Oracle: The Source

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Kendrick Scott's debut recording The Source exudes a sense of purpose with music that is carefully orchestrated, coolly executed, and has an appeal that is both contemporary and cerebral. Scott's respect for the art form is cognizant of the greats that have come before him, but clearly personifies his own voice alongside contemporaries like drummers Brian Blade and Eric Harland. He provides more than the element of keeping time by providing contour and feeling into his trap work, as recently ...