Jalen Baker: RePaved

Occasionally, an album comes along that shakes up your thinking about what jazz can do. Jalen Baker's RePaved might be that album. On the surface, it is an eight- part suite about Houston's historic Black neighbourhoods, particularly the 3rd Ward, where Baker's family has deep roots spanning four generations. But on closer listening, it becomes more personal. Baker is not simply documenting places disappearing under the pressure of gentrification; he is keeping their memory alive through music.

Baker wrote the album for his working quintet, featuring his vibraphone, Gabriel Godoy on bass, Gavin Moolchan on drums, Paul Cornish on piano, and Alexandria DeWalt on flute. It is augmented by a string quartet: Tia Allen on viola, Reenat Pinchas on cello, Yoojin Park on violin, and Chiara Jamila on violin.

The opening two tracks, "Antioch (The Beginning)" and "John Henry," share a link: they pay tribute to the Missionary Baptist Church and its influential founder, John Henry "Jack" Yates. The first composition is a telling place to begin, with an organ-rich opening that evokes the church and the spiritual foundation of Black American music. When Baker enters on vibes, the sound becomes more intimate, with his notes hanging in the air. On the second track, Baker keeps the piece moving without lapsing into reverence, while the ensemble gives the melody room to find its footing.

Then comes "Dowling/Emancipation," and the atmosphere shifts as the number takes on a Southern looseness, bringing an authenticity that simply cannot be captured on the page. Baker dances around the rhythm with his unmistakable personality and singular playing style.

"City on the Water" is the album's quiet beauty. DeWalt's playing is gorgeous, floating above the mellow cushion of the strings. Baker gives the ballad plenty of space, with Houston's coastal setting and the impact of environmental changes part of the picture. The music, nevertheless, remains wonderfully human. Enjoyment comes easily in the good-natured swing of "Kashmere," Baker's salute to the Kashmere Stage Band and the Houston funk sound it helped shape, as exemplified by bands like the Jazz Crusaders. The chart is spirited and playful, and Baker clearly enjoys himself.

The final two tracks remind us that Baker is a heck of an arranger. "Bemsha Blues" brings Thelonious Monk's "Bemsha Swing" together with Duke Ellington's "C Jam Blues," a clever idea that becomes even better once the soloists get ahold of it. Finally, Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" closes the suite with affecting simplicity. After confronting loss and erasure, Baker chooses beauty, not as denial but as resistance.