Jaded, My Tummy

The pursuit of knowing was freedom to me, the right to declare your own curiosities and follow them through all manner of books. I was made for the library, not the classroom. The classroom was a jail of other people's interests.

Jamire Williams is my favorite jazz drummer, bar none, and I'd say he's arguably in the Top 3 of jazz drummers in America. Truly exceptional.

The first time I discovered him was on Christian Scott's Yesterday You Said Tomorrow (2010). His drumming on there, especially on album opener "K.K.P.D.," really cements together on the LP Scott's musical ideas. Williams' imaginative use of his drum kit and his myriad senses of rhythm—unorthodox syncopation, gutter boom-bap kicks, diffusive cadences, malleable fluctuations of space-time—drew me in. But what made me a fan and convinced me that he become my favorite was hearing him perform as part of pianist/composer Robert Glasper's trio. Recorded live at the Village Vanguard in December 2010, Williams sounds like art. And that is no mere trope—he is captivating. Every lick, every brush, every roll, every hi-hat tap, every strike of his calibrated snares feels like the masterful deliberation of a painter's impressionistic brush strokes, ethereal beauty in motion. I can palpably sense the three-dimensional space he's creating inside the Village Vanguard, and my mind. So, when I read this recent interview with Bandcamp where Williams states, "It’s high art to me. I look at myself as a painter on the drums," it strongly bolstered my thoughts on him.

A lot of time has passed since Solange's A Seat at the Table was released in September, and much has been said about it already. However, ASATT is near the top of many year-end lists, including being #1 on Pitchfork's Top 50 of 2016. So, maybe we'll start talking about it again. Anyways, I want to review individual songs from ASATT here, as many as I can, to get myself back into the exercise of reviewing music. The reviews will be more whatever-the-fuck-comes-out-of-me type writing, because I really need to get these ideas out of my head. I haven't reviewed any music in probably like 3 or 4 years. I didn't intend for this to sound so "English major-y," but here we go:

Rating:

Fall in your ways, so you can crumble
Fall in your ways, so you can sleep at night
Fall in your ways, so you can wake up and rise

Solange repeats this chorus three times to open ASATT. Its drum work understated, its bass cradling Solange's every word, "Rise" is meticulous, a soft preparation for the journey Solange has for you. Her empathy conveys thoughtfulness, tenderness, and her motives are sincere, galvanizing, compelling. She's like a wise, warmhearted mother tucking in her loved one, comforting you, telling you that failing and falling down are inevitable. The foundation Solange sets is preparing for the quiet storm to come. Using the song's calming tone—single-strike, closed hi-hat, atmospheric synths, delicate keys—to soothe your inner scars and bruises, Solange wants you to be attentive and pensive in mood. "Rise" is the salve before you even start. She empowers, encourages, and pushes us from the nest to explore on our own, to "Walk in your way, so you can wake up and rise," with our identity, our blackness, our humanity in tow but laid bare in front of us. It's what a mother does. And it's what Solange does, bracing us all for A Seat at the Table.

So, I kinda really gotta share this. And yes, I know I'm pretty late to post this since it's been out for a while. But I needed to post this, because (1) I love it, and (2) it gives me the feels. I don't why, but when the bridge comes in with the horns and vocals of co-producer Sampha, for whatever reason, they dancing black as fuck. Like, really. They look black as fuck with the dance moves, and it gives me the feels. Then in the later scenes, Solange gets all possessed-by-the-holy-ghost-in-a-black-church while everybody behind her is completely still. It's a strange but beautiful image. Maybe meaning we're still black in the calm and quiet too? Meh. Anyway, I got a couple things on Solange's A Seat at the Table that I hope to post up before everybody stops talking about the brilliant release altogether.

Solange - Don't Touch My Hair

Welp...

Colin Kaepernick played Sunday to protests from all sides of the debate. Though most notably were these shirts being sold outside the Buffalo Bills' stadium:

Shirts with a rifle scope trained on Colin Kaepernick selling for $10 outside of Ralph Wilson stadium. pic.twitter.com/bSuxF3G5qq

— Robert Klemko (@RobertKlemko) October 16, 2016

Anyways, to answer my previous question. Where was Kaeptain America's head at in his first start for the San Francisco 49ers since November 1, 2015:

So, that radicalization of #BLM I spoke of? One manifestation, a very courageous and ongoing one, is San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick's refusal to stand for the American national anthem. He kneels. It's probably the most innocuous of physical movements, silent of protests that someone could do. But we knew the social weight of this protest after he first did it during the NFL preseason, as did his racist detractors. Now? So many athletes—professional, college, amateur, high school, shit, even marching band members—have all followed suit, furthering the debate in ways we probably didn't see possible. Proudly, determinedly, Kaepernick stands in the tradition and spirit of Muhammad Ali (Rest in Power, brother).

So far this season, Kaepernick has been the backup QB. But, when Blake Bortles' wack-assedness reached new levels of wack-assednessery, head coach Chip Kelly finally decided to replace Bortles with Kaepernick for the starting QB job against the Buffalo Bills this weekend, Week 6 of the NFL.

I can't help but wonder about the anxiety going on in many black people's minds about this, because I know about mine. It's just a "game," but it feels like there's much more at stake. Think Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier, the Fight of the Century in 1971,

It's been a long time since I've written anything here. And even a longer period of time that anyone has even paid attention to this blog, i.e. never. #HeyOh.

First of all, let me say, after ignoring it for so long, I'm finally on Twitter. Please follow @LargesseMorlu!

A lot has happened since my last post in 2012, with music and contemporary events. Like a muthafuckin' lot. I won't even begin to try and summarize it all (R.I.P. Prince, Muhammad Ali, and Phife Dawg tho), but two things come to mind: the radicalization of the #BlackLivesMatter movement and what I possibly believe could be the New Black Renaissance. The former reflects both tremendous tragedy and an exciting time. The brutally racist and recorded killings of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling, happening within 24 hours of each other earlier this year, ignited a fire under us, and we are demanding not only justice but permanent change, a thorough reorganization of society and its perpetuation of privilege.

The latter is an acknowledgement on my part that within the past few years we have gotten some of the best black music in years. Highly creative, artistic, forward-thinking, progressive, even political, etc. etc. And often that shit still bangs (see: "Alright"). I think things got started with the return of D'Angelo and his Black Messiah (2014),