Denys Baptiste: Let Freedom Ring is challenging!
Inspired by Dr King Denys Baptiste Creates Suites Of Inspiration.
Denys Baptiste is a major player in a new wave of jazz coming out of the UK; continuing the work that musicians like Courtney Pine and groups like The Jazz Warriors and NuTroop started in the nineties. Other players include fellow saxist Soweto Kinch and trumpeter Gavin Abrams. With labels like the independent Dune Records behind them they are showing that they would be around as innovators for a long time.
A Caribbean Heritage
Denys was born in London of St Lucian parents and began playing the saxophone and studying music as a teenager. His formal music studies began at the West London Institute (Brunel Institute) and continued at London’s GuildHall School of Music.
After graduating he began playing on the London circuit, building a name and making waves. Soon he was spotted by veteran bassist and producer Gary Crosby who immediately asked him to join his then band NuTroop.
Recording For The Dune Label
He made his recording debut on Dune records as a leader in 1999 with his CD ‘Be Where You Are’; It went on to win the Mercury Prize for album of the year. The following year he was named as winner of the British Jazz Award for Rising Star in 2000. His second album ‘Alternating Current’ was released in 2001.
In between those recordings Denys became a much in demand musician working with many legendary and award winning musicians. People like South African multi instrumentalist Bheki Mseleku, The Brecker Brothers, singer Al Jarreau, Ernest Ranglin, David Sanborn and fellow British musicians like Courtney Pine and Jazz Jamaica, too name a few.
The Cheltenham Commission
In 2003 commissioned by the Cheltenham International jazz festival Denys composed, arranged and recorded ‘Let Freedom Ring
Driven by the words of Dr Martin Luther King, Denys created a big band sound reminiscent of the work of Charles Mingus’s workshop band.
The suites that make up the CD blends contemporary jazz with a potent mix of Gospel, blues and Afro Cuban music and then as if he wanted us to reach higher, Denys added the deep baritone voice of Nigerian Poet Ben Okri to chant inspired lyrics from his epic poem ‘Mental Fight’, between the clash of rhythm section and horns. It’s intoxicating and inspiring at the same time.
Let Freedom Ring, although taking its’ words from Black History proves to be a project of great foresight; breaking the speech into four magnificent suites Denys seeks to have us deal with important points, ‘I Have A Dream’, ‘With This Faith’, ‘Let Freedom Ring’ and ‘Free At Last’ as its own entity that should lead to a better understanding of the life around us.
Let Freedom Ring works and should be an important addition to any forward thinking jazz collector’s library.
Denys Baptiste
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Let Freedom Ring
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