Groundbreaking spoken-word jazz Elsa Nilsson’s Band of Pulses – PULSES: Readers who know me are well aware that I got my start in music as a poet… Elsa and her fantastic band give you some of the most groundbreaking spoken-word jazz you will ever hear on her 6 October, 2023 release. To really get a feel for what they are doing with the poetry of Maya Angelou, watch the EPK video first…
This is the first time I’ve heard flute as the primary instrument interpreting poetry, and if you liked that video, you’ll want to make sure you SUBSCRIBE to Elsa’s YouTube channel, where you’ll find many more totally engaging performances.
Supporting Elsa’s fantastic flute work, you’ll hear pianist Santiago Leibson, bassist Marty Kenney and drummer Rodrigo Recabarren, and on tunes like my personal favorite of the eight offered up, “Bruising Darkness“, the group digs down deep into the beautiful poem that Maya performs… a totally amazing spoken-word experience that you’ll never forget!
I think Elsa’s own words from the promo sheet explain the concept far better than I can… “I’ve always been drawn to Dr. Angelou’s work,” says Nilsson. “What I find compelling is her ability to look directly at difficult topics and approach them with both compassion and honesty. Her unflappable clarity in her expression of everything from the beautiful to the brutal is something I work to embody on my instrument as well.” This is (without question) the best spoken-word/jazz album I’ve heard in many, MANY years… I give it a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED rating, with an “EQ” score of 4.99.
GET it at the Bandcamp page for the release, below (digitally, or in CD format)…
