Lafayette Gilchrist - Undaunted (CD)

Release Date: 12/08/23

World-renowned pianist/composer leads sextet through riveting cuts that exemplify why he's one of the most iconoclastic jazz artists of his generation

Lafayette Gilchrist's indomitable spirit energizes his newest album, Undaunted, to be released on
CD & Limited edition vinyl via Morphius Records. The world-renowned pianist & composer leads a sextet through 5 riveting compositions that exemplify why he's one of the most iconoclastic jazz musicians of his generation.

'Now' drummer Eric Kennedy & bassist Herman Burney, are joined by Brian Settles (tenor sax), Christian Hizon (trombone), & Kevin Pinder (percussion), resulting in a meatier, grittier sound articulating Gilchrist's brooding, urban gothic take on modern jazz that subtly coalesces barrelhouse blues, stride piano, post hard-bop, hip-hop, go-go, and R&B.

The album kicks off with the evocative title track, featuring Gilchrist embroidering a dance-like melody on top of Burney's skulking bass line, which gives way to laid-back melodic sway of the horn passages. Next up is the suspenseful 'Ride It Out,' an episodic composition marked by an infectious yet probing melody, torrential horn solos, and startling breaks. Gilchrist describes it as a 'sonic portrait of a fever,' specifically referencing the one many obtained after catching the deadly Covid-19 virus during the pandemic. Track 3 'Into The Swirl' is the tonal centerpiece for the album, an evocative masterpiece. 'I had this rhythmic idea that sounded like things moving by
at a fast pace..to touch it is to be sucked into it,' he says. 'The song is about being in that decisive
moment of whether to touch it or not.'

The album's mood lightens on the swaggering 'Southern Belle,' before concluding with the stammering 'Metropolitan Musings (Them Streets Again),' an Afro-Latin tinged tribute to Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. Even though those mid-Atlantic hubs are considered twin cities, they can appear vastly different with their own unique inner rivalry. Here Pinder supplies restless hand percussion as the song makes oblique references to DC's signature go-go sound and Baltimore's renowned deep house scene.