SOME STUFFS: There’s a Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey “Riot” goin’ on
One of my favorite bands, Oklahoma’s Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, are about to release a new album on August 30th called Race Riot Suite (Kinnara Records/Royal Potato Family), to be released on vinyl and the trendy digital formats of compact disc and MP3. This is their 21st album, and in true jazz form, is a suite that is meant to tell a story. In this case the suite was written by the band’s steel guitarist Chris Combs, and is meant to tell the tragic story of the 1921 Tulsa race riot. As some of you know, I am a fan of the long song and especially lengthy suites, so I am ready to explore when this is released. It is a bold statement not unlike those written by Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, and Charles Mingus, and Race Riot Suite will become a part of that tradition. The band will perform the album in full while on tour, so be on the lookout for JFJO greatness.
What do you think?