Kazemde George - I Insist

GREENLEAF MUSIC

£12.94

Cat. no: CDGRE1087
Format: CD
Barcode: 186980000879
Release Date: 22 Oct 2021
Genre: Jazz

‘I Insist’ is the debut album from Brooklyn-based saxophonist and composer Kazemde George.

The title is a shout-out to Max Roach’s landmark 1960 protest album ‘We Insist! Freedom Now Suite,’ a statement of George’s own determined disposition as a Black American, and an acknowledgement of our turbulent times.

Leading a quintet of stellar New York players - vocalist Sami Stevens, keyboardist Isaac Wilson, bassist Tyrone Allen II, and drummer Adam Arruda - the record is a vibrant collection of ten original compositions inspired by George’s interest in music of the African diaspora.

‘Understanding’ features a Cuban chang -inspired groove. ‘Haiti’ originates from one of George’s own looped electronic beats. Stevens contributes lyrics to the laid-back ‘Skylight’ and the somewhat sorrowful ‘Happy Birthday,’ as well as wordless vocals to three others. The music is unapologetically swinging and fully engaged, whether simmering on a low flame or reaching climactic heights of intensity.

Tracks: Things Line Up / Coasts / Balance / Skylight / Haiti / I Insist / Happy Birthday / Parkside / This Spring / Understanding