Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » His Name Is Alive: Sweet Earth Flower: a tribute to Marion Brown

189

His Name Is Alive: Sweet Earth Flower: a tribute to Marion Brown

By

Sign in to view read count
His Name Is Alive: Sweet Earth Flower: a tribute to Marion Brown
Everything old is new again, even "the new thing is, well, "the new thing again.



In the 1960s, as the moldy conservatives and even the hard bop practitioners were trying to define jazz as one specific thing. Suddenly, the music exploded into multiple directions. Aided by John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman, adventurism jazz musicians like Albert Ayler, Archie Shepp, Bill Dixon, Sun Ra, Joseph Jarman, and Marion Brown incorporated freedom and Afro-centric themes into the mix.



Fast-forward to the 1980s and the figs once again tried to define just exactly what jazz is. This back-and-forth of conservative verses adventurous thought in jazz might not be at the forefront of modern musical debate—jazz only accounts, after all, for approximately 2% of CD sales—but in the ebb-and-flow of creative thought it is refreshing to hear a remake of Coltrane's Ascension (Impulse!, 1965), and maybe follow an Albert Ayler cover band.



Just don't look to the university jazz programs for this re-rebirth. Take this tribute to Marion Brown, by the genre-busting alt/rock band His Name Is Alive (HNIA). Like Yo La Tengo and Thurston Moore, HNIA does not let genre limit their explorations.



Endorsed by Marion Brown himself, this overtly gentle tribute is a meditative rhythm-fest of inspired music. The disc opens with percussive ymbals calling the electric keyboards and meditation to order. Guitarist/pianist Warren Defever and saxophonist/pianist Elliott Bergman of HNIA utilize members of Antibalas and another Michigan band, NOMO, to realized this work. Soon, Justin Walter's trumpet washes over the cymbals and keyboards, with the opening "Sweet Earth Flying repeated live, at the conclusion of the disc.



Lengthy meditative pieces abound, with bluesy atmospheric guitar and saxophone meeting on the live "Capricorn Moon. The treat here is the contemplative electric keyboard pieces "November Cotton Flower and "Bismillahi 'Rrahmani' Rrahim, that come brimming with insight and hope.



Many would paint "the new thing as just angry anarchy; that is just wrong. This introduction or rethinking of Marion Brown's music reveals a gentle approach to a music that dares to be jazz.

Track Listing

Sweet Earth Flying; Juba Lee Brown; Capricorn Moon (live); November Cotton Flower; Bismillah 'Rrahmani 'Rrahim; Geechee Recollections (live); Geechee Recollections; Sweet Earth Flying (live).

Personnel

Warn Defever: guitar, piano; Elliot Bergman: tenor saxophhone, Rhodes piano; Jamie Saltsman: double bass; Justin Walter: trumpet; James Easter: percussion; Dan Piccolo: drums, percussion; Michael Herbst: alto saxophone; Erik Hall: Wurlitzer electric piano; Olman Piedra: congas, cajon.

Album information

Title: Sweet Earth Flower: A Tribute To Marion Brown | Year Released: 2008 | Record Label: High Two Recordings

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.