Denys Baptiste - Let Freedom Ring Suite

[A Lark Ascending]

Released this week and one of a number of new issues destined to bankrupt me this weekend:

Denys Baptiste - LET FREEDOM RING!

featuring Ben Okri

Stirring contemporary jazz with gospel, blues and Afro-Cuban music, inspired by Dr Martin Luther King’s momentous I Have A Dream speech on its 40th anniversary, and featuring an explosive 12-piece international line-up including Omar Puente, Abram Wilson and Gary Crosby.

"Denys Baptiste ... taking Europe by storm and becoming the icon of British jazz". Time Magazine

Celebrating the 40th anniversary of Dr Martin Luther King’s historic I Have A Dream oratory, Mercury and MOBO Award winning British jazz star Denys Baptiste has created a stirring new suite of music, which takes its inspiration from the rousing spirit and instantly recognisable rhythms of the momentous speech. Collaborating with Booker Prize winning author Ben Okri, Baptiste has synchronised extracts of the epic poem, Mental Fight, into an infectious mix of contemporary jazz with gospel, blues, and Afro-Cuban music.

Jazz has always been closely connected with the struggle for freedom and justice and the suite’s four parts - I Have A Dream, With This Faith, Let Freedom Ring, and Free At Last -pay tribute to those who have fought to overcome oppression, expressing ideals which are as relevant today as they were 40 years ago.

Supporting sets will come from either Robert Mitchell Equinox (solo piano) or Juliet Roberts Beneath the Surface (jazz quintet) - see tour dates for details. Robert Mitchell mixes jazz and classical influences with seamless invention, to create fresh and highly original music reminiscent of McCoy Tyner and Keith Jarrett. Juliet Roberts’ powerhouse voice never fails to ignite audiences and her new jazz quintet features Abram Wilson, trumpet (USA), Andrew McCormack, piano (UK), Neil Charles, double bass (UK/Jamaica), Rod Youngs, drums (USA)

"A star in the making. Quite simply a revelation." The Times on Robert Mitchell

"Great delivery, great finesse, lustrous sound." The Guardian on Juliet Roberts

Let Freedom Ring! line-up

Denys Baptiste

Tenor Saxophone (UK/St Lucia)

Ben Okri

spoken word (Nigeria)

Nathaniel Facey

Alto Saxophone (UK/Jamaica)

Abram Wilson

Trumpet (USA)

Trevor Mires

Trombone (UK)

Omar Puente

Violin (Cuba)

Jenny Adejayan

Cello (Nigeria/Grenada)

Andrew McCormack

Piano (UK)

Adam Goldsmith

Guitar (UK)

Gary Crosby

Double bass (UK/Jamaica)

Satin Singh

Percussion (UK/India)

Rod Youngs

Drums (USA)

I saw the premier of this back in May - very impressive. A lengthy piece of writing from a young Brit, one of the many great jazz players from the Afro-Caribbean community who are making such a strong impact on UK jazz at present.

Worth going out of your way to sample.

Baptiste is touring it round the UK to promote it. Highly recommended.

[A Lark Ascending]

And here's a live review from the tour:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/reviews/sto...1051823,00.html