Ishmael Reed, the poet, novelist and playwright whose creative works habitually uncover the real truths of the social structure, is also acknowledged as a jazz musician. Only a few of his ilk held such a chair in jazz, such as Greg Tate, Melvin Van Peebles and Amiri Baraka (he wasn’t a musician, but he led his Blue Ark Band).
As a prolific writer, Reed has to make space for jazz, which he did during the pandemic when he arranged and composed the music for his second album, “The Hands of Grace” (10 tracks) on his label (Reading Group, 2022). Some of the compositions recorded here are from his recent play “The Slave Who Loved Caviar,” based on the relationship between pop artist Andy Warhol and Jean Michel Basquiat, whose paintings are considered awareness activism.
“Instead of paying a composer as we had done in the past, we saved money because I wrote the music and became the composer,” explained Reed during a phone interview. Reed’s ensemble includes himself on piano, Ray Obiedo on guitar and bass, Roger Glenn on flute, Carla Blank Reed on violin and Tennessee Reed, vocals.
The CD opens with “Bells of Basquiat,” a lonely, meandering ballad. Reed’s keys are melodic rhythms and somewhat repetitive, making me wonder what Basquiat was thinking as he danced with his brushes hitting the canvas like long strokes of a Coltrane solo. “When Beautiful Boys Drown in the Nile, They Become Gods” represents an ancient tale about a decadent emperor who entices a beautiful young boy with his trappings of materialism. During a boat ride with the emperor’s subjects, the boy falls out of the boat and drowns. “The song is somewhat of a metaphor of the relationship between Warhol and Basquiat,” says Reed. The tune is a haunting ballad led by Reed’s melodic deep piano tones that offer blues trimmings.
“How High the Moon” isn’t the well-traveled standard but an essay by Reed, read by his daughter Tennessee. The words talk of the moon slipping out of sight, then back in view again. Reed inserts familiar moon titles: “When the Moon Hits Your Eyes,” “Blue Moon” “Many Moons Ago.”
His track “What I Hear When I View Basquiats” is in that down-home, Tabasco sauce, funky blues, swinging in Fats Waller stride piano style perfected in Harlem. “Yes—that stride style is dedicated to my grandmother’s brother Emmitt Coleman, who played stride piano in the Dixie Chick Orchestra back in the days,” said Reed.
The composition “Elegy for Lucille Clifton” is a tribute to the poet and writer who was Reed’s friend and colleague. He was responsible for her introduction to her husband Fred Clifton while he was organizing the Buffalo Community Drama Workshop. In 1966, Reed took some of Clifton’s poems to Langston Hughes, who included them in his anthology “The Poetry of the Negro.”
In 2006, Reed was diagnosed with prostate cancer and told his wife Carla that he didn’t want to check out without playing be-bop. He hastily arranged for a recording session in Berkeley, California. He enlisted his wife, a violinist, and Chris Planas on guitar, Roger Glenn on flute and David Murray on saxophones. This quintet was the foundation for Reed’s debut jazz album “For All We Know” (Konch Records, 2007), which solidified him as a jazz band leader. He is currently raising money for his third CD, which will include respected elder blues musicians in their 80s. He will be reaching out to Ronnie Stewart (king of the Westcoast Blues and president of the Oakland Blues Society) to be a part of the group. But for now, take joy in listening to “The Hands of Grace.” Jazz is an essential part of Reed’s diet; writing makes his day.
The pianist and composer Matthew Shipp has complete control of the keyboards. He is a masterful pianist on all genre fronts. Unfortunately, this must be noted since there are so many categories for this art we call jazz: straight-ahead traditional and avant-garde, smooth, fusion and on and on. Jazz has been intellectualized for the bourgeoisie, but all jazzheads want to know is can the cat play? Shipp has released four albums since 2020, the most recent being the Matthew Shipp Trio’s “World Construct” (ESP-Disk 2022).
This album, like all of his contributions since 1988, demonstrates that avant-gardism shouldn’t be a scary defining moment. Actually, it is a badge of freedom, transcending space, where Shipp’s music drifts into the stratosphere dancing with the stars on the Milky Way. “World Construct” is a pandemic (it’s not over) contribution for Shipp, with his trusted bassist Michael Bislo and drummer Newman Taylor Baker, who are from beyond yesternow.
The 11 tracks are stimulating journeys, moving listeners into realms of varied spaces. The CD opens with “Tangile,” a short, breezy piano trio interlude. On “Positive Jazz,” check out the drums rumbling like a summer storm and cymbals hittin’. Bassist Bislo comes in with deep, explicit, bellowing tones conversing with running piano keys and authoritative bass on top. Shipp weaves in and out, giving Bislo and Baker room to extend their rapid conversation. Its charging ends on a melodic drum solo. Wow.
“Talk Power” is in a mid-tempo mood, with Shipp playing haunting tones that move with a breath of warmth. Bislo huddles in, then all of a sudden, crash-boom, percussive notes all together create wake me-shake me music in its own space and time; a percussive roar.
“A Mysterious State” has a classical feel as the trio is definitely intertwined on an intuitive level, the conversions of multiple melodies rhythms bouncing off each other; the drums rapid tat-a-tat; Shipp romping the keyboard; and the bass in the background and out front, ending with soul.
“World Construct” from the Matthew Shipp Trio is an outrageous winner for 2022.