Drummer Jamire Williams’ defining characteristic on his instrument is that he always seems to be constantly rumbling. Whether he’s playing with Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, the Robert Glasper Experiment, Dr. Lonnie Smith, his backwards namesake group ERIMAJ, or Miguel Atwood-Ferguson (who shows up on Williams’ upcoming album, but I’ll get to that), Williams’ energy seems to be in constant motion. He forever rumbles… all up until the moment that he seemingly isn’t. Seemingly is the optimal word here, for he’s always moving, even when you can’t see him coming. Over the last year or so, Williams has been honing himself in the cut. His Instagram started to feel like a digital gallery. His artistic output leaned more toward the visual. He recorded on fewer releases but could still slay. Williams was expanding as an artist in various capacities, bringing additional depth to his already fascinating work. Now Williams is preparing to release his next album, under his own name, as a percussionist but also as an artist, with the upcoming ///// EFFECTUAL. It’s an album primarily percussion based with a little help from the maestros Chassol and Atwood-Ferguson near the end. It’s an artist’s album, seemingly made for performances in art galleries (which Williams has already gotten that ball rolling in Los Angeles), on top of the fact that he painted the album art. Check out the track “Children of the Supernatural” after the jump and check out ///// EFFECTUAL, available for pre-order now at the Leaving Records Bandcamp before it drops December 2nd.
Nextbop Editor-in-Chief Anthony Dean-Harris hosts the modern jazz radio show, The Line-Up, Fridays at 9pm CST on 91.7 FM KRTU San Antonio and is also a contributing writer to DownBeat Magazine and the San Antonio Current.
