Label: AUM Fidelity, 2024

Personnel - Darius Jones: alto saxophone; Chris Lightcap: bass; Gerald Cleaver: drums.

Darius Jones, a visionary saxophonist and composer with a sharp, angular approach and pungent tone, ranks among the best in contemporary improvised music. His latest trio album, Legend of e’Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye), marks the seventh chapter in his comprehensive Man’ish Boy series, which began in 2009 and will eventually encompass nine parts. This album delves into themes of Black mental health and healing of personal and collective trauma through therapy, community, and creative expression. Jones is accompanied by bassist Chris Lightcap and drummer Gerald Cleaver—both masters of groove and technique—who help channel the volcanic energy and tempered explorations Jones uses to convey his message.

The album opens with “Affirmation Needed”, where Jones delivers an emphatic, dynamically accented, and often motif-driven performance, erupting over a solid rhythmic foundation that provides grounding. Following a bass solo by Lightcap, delivered with impeccable articulation, Jones returns, probing the depths of his horn with incisive, expressive sounds. “Another Kind of Forever" begins with a joint effort by sax and bass, posing repeated musical questions, to which Cleaver’s drums respond with precision and creativity. The piece then picks up momentum, reminiscent of a train speeding along, before arriving at a ternary vamp, with a signature saxophone riff dancing above. The rhythmic idea persists, developing into a state of manic agitation.

“No More My Lord”, the only non-original piece on the album, is a poignant recreation of a prison song recorded by Alan Lomax at Parchman Farm, Mississippi, in 1947. Jones' saxophone cries out with seismic intensity, pleading for freedom and healing, set against Lightcap’s slashing arco bass and Cleaver’s magnetic cymbal configurations. “We Outside” is loosened up with considerable ambiguity even when anchored by a steady 12-beat bass groove. In contrast, “We Inside Now” offers a more restrained, harmonious ballad where Jones blows his horn with a controlled, comfortable assurance.

The album concludes with “Motherfuckin Roosevelt”, a track where shifting tempos and moods provide a sense of elasticity. At the outset, we can feel a rock n’roll spirit, something raw and primitive that expands in its will to take us to different and better places. The musicians throw themselves into the music with an unrelenting passion. Their fascinating playing is intriguing, raw, and lush. Legend of e’Boi is a keeper.

Favorite Track:
01 - Affirmation Needed ► 02 - Another Kind of Forever ► 03 - No More My Lord

Label: We Jazz Records / Northern Spy Records, 2023

Personnel - Darius Jones: alto saxophone, composition; James Meger: bass; Gerald Cleaver: drums; Jesse Zubot: violin; Josh Zubot: violin; Peggy Lee: cello.

American saxophonist Darius Jones embarks on an intriguing stylistic experiment leaning on hallucinatory avant-garde jazz. His new release, fLuxKit Vancouver (its suite but sacred) is a four-movement opus designed with an advanced structure that incorporates formidable ensemble playing and individual spontaneity. The work pays tribute to Vancouver itself and its artist-run center, Western Front, which commissioned it. Jones plays alongside drummer Gerald Cleaver, a kindred spirit with years of experience, and a quartet of qualified string players - violinist brothers Jesse and Josh Zubot, cellist Peggy Lee and bassist James Meger - all making significant contributions to the exceptional outcome.

“Fluxus V5T 1S1” places Jones’ deliberate alto thoughts over the low-pitched underpinning of bass and cello, while the violins create slight dissonance. Cleaver’s enveloping drumming adapts to the changing scenarios, following the bass walks to increase the pace. A free-wheeling improvisation by Jones steals the show. As for the stringed instruments, they sound cadenced in their craft but quickly diverge in paths, claiming the spotlight in the final chamber section, right after animated 12-beat cycles cause a sensation.

“Rainbow” is an 18-minute narrative that begins with Cleaver’s tasteful and expert timbres. The bass sneaks in, followed by the laser-focused strings, which move both in counterpoint and parallel, creating a certain pulsation. There’s a strung-out, unaccompanied bass passage that leads to a triple-metered groove. At this point, the band salutes and embraces interplay.

“Zubot” is ignited with abstraction, presenting spunky percussion, saxophone cries, and squeaky violins. In the sequence of a rigorously articulated passage with angled corners but unequivocal expression, the Zubots are called to improvise. And they do it beautifully.

The album closes with “Damon and Pythias”, the album’s fiercest movement that stuns while channeling mystery, energy, and spirituality in a sequence of ingenious strokes. Jones’ intonation recalls Henry Threadgill and his tremendous technique extends to dark multiphonics and visceral growls. Still, it transitions from foreboding and spooky to a soulfully breathtaking waltzing mode in a final part that brings to mind Pharoah Sanders’ spiritual prayers.

The players forge into the heat of the inventive compositions, and Jones, capable of fleeting articulated flurries as well as even-tempered sequences, confirms he’s one of the most interesting saxophonists of our times.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Fluxus V5T 1S1 ► 03 - Rainbow ► 04 - Damon and Pythias