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Legend has it that it was the intersection of U.S. Route 61 and U.S. Route 49, at Clarksdale, Mississippi, where Robert Johnson supposedly sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for mastery of the blues. It is in the same musical vein that James Carter and EmArcy present At The Crossroads, where, at times, the saxophonist indeed plays like a man possessed.
Continuing on his path as a "searching artist," Carter sets out to find the junction where blues and gospel merge, only to make a hard right at the blues and continue forward. Joined by Motor City veterans Leonard King Jr. drums and B3 organ phenom Gerard Gibbs, Carter digs deep, kicking things off with "Oh Gee," a smoker from trombonist Matthew Gee that Carter picked up from a tenor sax blowing session with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Johnny Griffin.
Carter continues down the blues highway, paying homage to Brother Jack McDuff and his shuffle "Walking the Dog," while introducing many to Sarah McLawler, with a smoldering take on the early '50s organ pioneer's ballad, "My Whole Life Through." The joint gets jumping with vocalist Miche Braden and her roof-raising version of "The Walking Blues." An expanded horn section, with trumpeter Keyon Harrold and trombonist Vincent Chandler, combines with guitarist Brandon Ross to punctuate this non-stop musical party, allowing Braden to put her own stamp on this classic tune.
The overall feel of At The Crossroads begins to take a slightly more spiritual shift with the hauntingly beautiful "Mysterio," and a powerful arrangement of Duke Ellington's classic "Come Sunday," which features stirring vocals by drummer King. Braden returns for the spiritual " Tis the Old Ship of Zion," while the closer, "The Hard Blues," emphasizing the unification of the sacred and secular African-American sound. A back-to-basics approach as engaging as it is entertaining begins to move At The Crossroads to another musical dimension.
With blues, gospel, and an overriding soul sound that is, perhaps, the unique merging of these two mighty forces, Carter leaves the labeling of this release to the listener. After the groundbreaking fusion of European classical with jazz improvisation and Afro-Caribbean rhythms on Caribbean Rhapsody (EmArcy, 2011), Carter continues to defy standard categorization while focusing on a more roots-oriented release that may well be a look at his hybrid musical soul.
At The Crossroads finds Carter organic and raw yet razor sharp, with a defined focus and passion that not only makes it a noteworthy release, it may well raise the bar for jazz overall. - Brent Black
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ARTISTS
James Carter: saxophones; Leonard King Jr.: drums, vocals (10); Gerard Gibbs: organ; Miche Braden: vocals (4, 11); Brandon Ross: guitar (4,12); Bruce Edwards: guitar (1,3,6) Keyon Harrold: trumpet (4,10); Vincent Chandler: trombone (4,10); Eli Fountain: tambourines(10). |
TRACKS
Oh Gee; JC Off The Set; Aged Pain; The Walking Blues; My Whole Life
Through; Walking The Dog; Lettuce Toss Yo Salad; Mysterio; Ramblin
Blues; Come Sunday; Tis The Old Ship of Zion; The Hard Blues |
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