The latest album from saxophonist Benjamin Boone is "The Poets are Gathering," a powerful album that uses both poetry and jazz to explore and respond to current issues, particularly racism. This album pairs poets reading their work with jazz musicians creating accompaniment. The two art forms grew and developed together, so this is a really cool way to bring them back together.
I really enjoy how each piece is so perfectly suited to the poem thematically. Many of them speak about painful subjects and are atonal and dissonant as a result, but there are also very loving poems that are beautiful and gently read over piano. For a bunch of them, the music fits so well that it ends up sounding like a pop or a rap song instead of spoken word.
My favorite tracks include the title track, "The Poets are Gathering," as well as a few others. The titular song starts off as a march as the author reads a call to the poets. It then builds an grows until the poet is basically singing a wordless song as the instruments improvise in the background. The tension here is almost palpable as it grows in intensity. Another excellent song is "Deconstruction of Idols" which almost sounds purely improvised at the beginning, until about halfway through, when what sounds like a big band takes over. After that it sounds like a swing song! Finally there is also "Truths" which is a gorgeous, melodic piece that is a joy to listen to. I'd recommend the whole album honestly, all of them are wonderful. What a great way to merge art forms and comment on the current climate.
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