\n<\/p>\n
Rachelle Ferrell reaches beyond what singing intended. In 1995, Blue Note released her debut album, \u201cFirst Instrument,\u201d<\/em> and it was appropriately named, calling attention to the voice as an inseparable figure in jazz that highlights the body as the blueprint for music technology. The song on \u201cFirst Instrument\u201d <\/em>that epitomizes her mastery for me is \u201cAutumn Leaves,\u201d one of the most recorded songs in jazz history. Ferrell\u2019s hands on parts of the standard render it illegible. She stutters, stunts and stages a layered sonic signature that introduces the world to what it means to personify jazz. Relying on every part of the body, \u201cAutumn Leaves\u201d in her care is colorful and textured. The physicality of her voice requires an unlearning of what we\u2019ve in the past called a song. Ferrell demonstrated to listeners in real time what happens when the mouth dances with the tongue, pushing her six-octave range through and past the spaces in her teeth.<\/p>\n Too often, women vocalists are not taken seriously for their innovative approaches to traditional jazz, which shape and redefine the genre. Rachelle Ferrell arranges, composes, sings and writes lyrics that reckon with the multitudes of jazz possibilities. \u201cAutumn Leaves\u201d <\/em>is a case study in compositional excellence.<\/p>\n \u25b6 <\/em>Listen on <\/em><\/strong>YouTube<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cBlack Radio,\u201d the long-running Robert Glasper Experiment series on Blue Note, is built on metaphors of flight. \u201cLike the aviator\u2019s black box, black radio holds the truth and is indestructible,\u201d Angelika Beener writes in the first album, from 2012. And, on Glasper\u2019s flip of the Mongo Santamaria standard \u201cAfro Blue,\u201d the Experiment cruises, as if at altitude.<\/p>\n Glasper\u2019s early Blue Note discography plays with the duality of pushing forward and leaning back. \u201cIn My Element,\u201d his debut, veered between these axes, and an instrumental representation of that duality \u2014 acoustic trio versus electric Experiment \u2014 became an entire concept album, \u201cDouble Booked.\u201d<\/p>\n On \u201cAfro Blue,\u201d you feel a sense of relief, as Glasper, rather than partitioning his voice, finds a synthesis that\u2019s deep and comfortable. Santamaria\u2019s polyrhythmic triple time becomes a down-tempo four; Chris Dave\u2019s skittering drums provide a J Dilla-ish frame, while the guest vocalist Erykah Badu floats through the lyrical idyll written by Oscar Brown Jr. It turned out to be a milestone; \u201cBlack Radio\u201d was a critical and commercial success, and Glasper found a laid-back sound and textural role that he\u2019d play in myriad future projects. In the moment, though, \u201cAfro Blue\u201d felt only like an exhale.<\/p>\n \u25b6 <\/em>Listen on <\/em><\/strong>Spotify<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Apple Music<\/em><\/a> or <\/em>YouTube<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n This song feels like catching peak fall foliage \u2014 rich, vibrant and unforgettable. It\u2019s the car ride to your grandmother\u2019s house after a marathon church service, knowing the best Sunday supper is waiting for you \u2026 like a rainy day off, ducking in and out of cozy bookshops and cafes \u2026 or flipping open The Book and landing on just the psalm you need.<\/p>\n \u201cChant,\u201d from Donald Byrd\u2019s \u201cA New Perspective\u201d (1964), is my favorite track in the Blue Note catalog \u2026 at least today. This album is a trailblazer, effortlessly weaving jazz and gospel in ways that still feel fresh. Featuring the eight-voice Coleridge Perkinson Choir, the music ascends to something sacred.\u2063\u2063<\/p>\n \u2063\u2063On \u201cChant,\u201d Byrd\u2019s warm, lyrical trumpet floats above a dreamy cast of musicians: Hank Mobley (tenor sax), Herbie Hancock (piano), Kenny Burrell (guitar), Donald Best (vibraphone), Butch Warren (bass) and Lex Humphries (drums).\u2063\u2063 \u2063\u2063In the original liner notes, Byrd described his vision to create a \u201cmodern hymnal that approached spiritual-like pieces with respect and pleasure.\u201d And that\u2019s exactly what this song invokes: reverence for life and impenetrable joy.<\/p>\n \u25b6 <\/em>Listen on <\/em><\/strong>Spotify<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Apple Music<\/em><\/a> or <\/em>YouTube<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\u25c6 \u25c6 \u25c6<\/span><\/h3>\n
Robert Glasper, \u201cAfro Blue\u201d<\/h2>\n
Hugh Morris, writer<\/span><\/h3>\n
\u25c6 \u25c6 \u25c6<\/span><\/h3>\n
Donald Byrd, \u201cChant\u201d<\/h2>\n
Laurin Talese, vocalist, composer and educator<\/span><\/h3>\n
\u25c6 \u25c6 \u25c6<\/span><\/h3>\n
Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers, \u201cMoon River\u201d<\/h2>\n
Ashley Kahn, author and historian<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n