The musician/poet/troubadour Gil Scott-Heron, who in the early 70's was influential to scores of people who heard his cool brand of hip music and absorbed the pithy observational wit of his lyrics, was being rediscovered recently when he released a new album I'm New Here in February of 2010. His rediscovery was crushingly cut short when Mr. Scott-Heron unexpectedly died in May of this year at the age of 62.
I was strongly influenced by the messages that Mr. Scott-Heron offered in his raspy, baritone voice that spoke with an inner wisdom that was somehow lost to many around him. His music shared a jazz and blues sensibility that I was prone to like to be sure, but it was his lyrics that were poignant and unforgettable. He spoke of things that others would only think and he did so in a beguiling manner that transcended time. I was not alone in my admiration. Producer Mark Ruffin, who is the program director of the Sirius/Xm Satellite channel Real Jazz, as well as a jazz journalist himself, was similarly struck by the music and lyrics of Mr. Scott-Heron. Ruffin envisioned an album of the poet's music, The Revolution WIll Be Jazz , as an homage to the man whose later years were filled with drug related hardships and conflicts. Mr. Ruffin controversially chose the jazz baritone Giacomo Gates for the project and was anxiously waiting to present the finalized version to Scott -Heron when the singer suddenly died. If anyone had trepidations about Ruffin's choice for this project, Mr.Gates grasp of the music and his performance here has certainly put all doubts to rest.
Giacomo Gates is an authentic jazz vocalist and student of the jazz tradition. He has studied the works of vocalists like Jon Hendricks and Eddie Jefferson and has absorbed and broadened some of their techniques including scatting, vocalese and mimicking instruments with his voice. Gates has a smoky, slightly gravelly baritone voice with an unerring sense of swing. He is a master storyteller, often choosing music that offers some comic relief. It is precisely Mr. Gates' storytelling ability that makes him so well suited to the music of Mr. Scott-Heron. Gates wisely chose from Mr. Scott-Heron's repertoire those songs that tell a story, songs that spoke to him.Giacomo Gates - Vocals
John DiMartino - Piano, Whistling
Tony Lombardozzi - Guitar
Lonnie Plaxico - Bass
Vincent Ector - Drums
Claire Daly - Baritone Sax, Flute
List of Tunes:
1. Show Bizness
2. This Is A Prayer For Everybody To Be Free
3. Lady Day And John Coltrane
4. Legend In His Own Mind
5. Madison Avenue
6. Gun
7. Winter In America
8. Is That Jazz
9. New York City
10. It's Your World
