Blues For Memo

Albumbeschreibung

One is a leading figure of libertarian jazz, a more poetic than radical saxophonist, who hasn’t put his guard down since the middle of the 70s. The other is a charismatic poet − slam poet − and actor with a strong disregard for labels. David Murray and Saul Williams perform together with a shared political discourse on this Blues For Memo, a tribute to Turkish manager Mehmet “Memo” Uluğ, inspired by avant-garde composer Butch Morris and poet and activist Amiri Baraka, three close friends of the duo who passed away recently. Recorded in Istanbul, their album also features pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Jaribu Shahid, drummer Nasheet Waits, trombonist Craig Harris, pianist Jason Moran, guitarist (and son of David) Mingus Murray, qanun player Aytac Dogan and singer Pervis Evans.

With his brother Ahmet, Memo Uluğ founded Pozitif Music and created the mythical Babylon club in Istanbul. Pozitif is known for introducing Turkey to an experimental and politically involved type of jazz, with artists such as Murray, but also Butch Morris, Sun Ra and Pharoah Sanders. Saul Williams on the other hand met Uluğ at Babylon at the end of the 90s, through saxophonist Ilhan Ersahin’s Wax Poetics project. The recording of Blues For Memo also provided the opportunity to pay tribute to another close friend of Murray: innovative conductor and cornetist Butch Morris, who lived and taught for a few years in Istanbul at the end of the 90s.

But more importantly this collaboration between Saul Williams and David Murray is one of the most meaningful of their respective careers, as it continues the singular vision of the great Amiri Baraka. “Growing up extremely familiar with and inspired by the works of Amiri Baraka, I was honoured when David asked me to work with him”, Saul Williams said. “I stepped into this knowing that I was collaborating with someone who knew Amiri very well.”

Saul Williams roots this project in its own time. Red Summer evokes the 2015 shooting in a church in Charleston, Citizens (The River Runs Red) talks about women’s rising aspirations, Cycles And Seasons compares the extraction of coltan – a precious metal used in smartphones and other electronic devices – with more traditional mining methods, and so on. As mentioned by Murray, Saul Williams is “a visionary looking far into the future. I’ve always wanted to serve poets and their vision of the world, and that’s what I’m attempting here: making this vision clearer and more palpable through music”. Politically involved, activist, spiritual, traditional and projecting into the future: here comes an album as important as the message it carries. © CM/Qobuz