This is music about, and coming from, Brooklyn, known for its large community of musicians. Particularly, about a period of local history
which coincides with the history of jazz, going from the Fourties to the
Sixties. Brooklyn jazz was frequently ofuscated by all the activity
happening on the other side of the river, but its own dynamics was – and
still is – very special. The club Putnam Central, where Charlie Parker
and Dizzy Gillespie used to play, is remembered by the free jazz legend
Joe McPhee and the much younger Norwegian expatriate Ingebrigt Haker
Flaten. “Crossing the Bridge”, the first track, is an allusion to “The
Bridge”, by the great Sonny Rollins. “Here and Now” is McPhee’s and
Flaten’s answer to the question put by Don Cherry on one of his most
celebrated recordings, “Where is Brooklyn?”. So, what you’ll find in
“Brooklyn DNA” is, at the same time, a tribute and a connective ritual
with a specific tradition. After hearing this, you’ll understand better
what was, is and will be Brooklyn’s jazz continuum…
Personnel:
Ingebrigt Haker Flaten (b), Joe McPhee (sax),
Ingebrigt Haker Flaten (b), Joe McPhee (sax),
