There's a fullness in ten years. A lot of work, if rather relentlessly done, can really make a discernible impact. Ten years ago, folks were making all the talk as rather cyclically that jazz was dead. It was such an exhausting conversation. Folks were around making this music, obviously. It couldn't be that dead. The problem was in the awareness and the tweaking of the … [Read more...]
Ben Williams’ ‘I AM A MAN’ Album Reviewed
On February 1, 1968, a malfunctioning garbage truck fatally crushed two black Memphis sanitation workers - Echol Cole and Robert Walker. Their passing was in many ways directly the fault of Henry Loeb, the city’s white supremacist mayor. Loeb previously served as the Memphis’ Public Works Commissioner, a role in which he undertook several steps to impose unduly harsh conditions … [Read more...]
Jamire Williams – ‘///// EFFECTUAL’
Jamire Williams is an artist. He's best known for being a drummer. He has backed numerous groups. His style, which I have described on this site many times as a "constant rumbling", is signature and frequently in demand. As a musician, he is always one to listen for. Yet, over the last few years, it has become clear that Williams is more than this. Being a musician is great-- … [Read more...]
Jamire Williams – “Children of the Supernatural” (Stream)
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 … [Read more...]
Corey King – ‘Lashes’
Corey King and Jamire Williams make a great pair. The dopeness of Williams' 2012 release, Conflict of a Man (the album's "Black Super Hero Theme Song" has been the theme song to "The Line-Up" for years), through his backwards namesake band, ERIMAJ, is accomplished not only because of Williams' constantly keyed in rumbling on the drums but also because of King's soulful … [Read more...]