Jul 22, 2026 12:37 PM
In Memoriam: Rodney Holmes, 1966–2026
Drummer Rodney Holmes, a powerful presence behind the kit who emerged as an in-demand player on the New York scene…
Oneness Of Juju in the studio during the 1970s. A batch of the band’s recordings is being reissued as African Rhythms 1970-1982.
(Photo: Courtesy James "Plunky" Branch)James “Plunky” Branch met his future business partner and friend Jimmy Gray almost by chance.
In the early ’70s, Gray had a publication called Black Fire, which was a kind of catalog, featuring lists of the records being released by Black-owned independent labels like Strata-East, Tribe and Black Jazz. In the first issue, he ran a picture of Juju, the avant-jazz group headed by Branch. The saxophonist was furious and called up the band’s label, Strata-East, to demand legal action. But, as he writes in the liner notes for the new compilation Soul Love Now: The Black Fire Records Story 1975–1993, “The label said, ‘No, that’s Jimmy from D.C.! He is promoting for us there.’ Based in Richmond, Virginia, I was living in Jimmy’s catchment area; we fast became good friends and began doing everything together.”
That “everything” included forming Black Fire Records, a label that tapped into the flourishing jazz, funk and r&b scenes in D.C. and Virginia, and was infused with their Afrocentric, left-wing politics and spiritual bent. During its peak period—the same stretch found on Soul Love Now, which is set for release Aug. 14 on Strut—the imprint released work from the likes of future go-go stars Experience Unlimited, Sun Ra sideman Byard Lancaster and several of Branch’s projects, including the African-inspired Oneness Of Juju. While none of Black Fire’s releases sold in huge numbers, the records have become coveted by rare-groove collectors and DJs around the world.
Ahead of the release of Soul Love Now and African Rhythms 1970–1982, which collects tracks from some of Branch’s various projects, the saxophonist spoke to DownBeat about the compilations, as well as the spirit and sounds that made Black Fire a reality.
The following has been edited for length and clarity.
What inspired you and Gray to start Black Fire?
First and foremost, our experience with Strata-East, which was largely positive and educational. Jimmy had been the promotions person for Strata-East for the Mid-Atlantic during the Gil Scott-Heron thing. The idea of working with a cooperative of musicians and producers to create something that would be jointly owned and shared was a very positive experience. However, when Gil Scott-Heron’s album Winter In America came out, it had a song on it called “The Bottle,” which was, for all intents and purposes, a hit record. The way Strata-East was organized was that each artist produced their own manufacturing for the first 1,000 [or] 2,000 copies of an album, and if those sold out, the label would take over and replenish. But for a while, “The Bottle” was so hot that nobody had it except Jimmy. It made him a focal point. It boosted his credibility, in terms of promotion.
After that experience, I was planning to do a record that would eventually be called African Rhythms. We said, “Rather than go through what happened with ‘The Bottle,’ we should release this on our own label. And that label would be called Black Fire.”
A drummer’s drummer, Rodney Holmes gigged with everyone from Joe Zawinul and Carlos Santana to Steve Kimock and the Brecker Brothers.
Jul 22, 2026 12:37 PM
Drummer Rodney Holmes, a powerful presence behind the kit who emerged as an in-demand player on the New York scene…
Clockwise from top left, Mary Halvorson, Patricia Brennan, Adam O’Farrill, Keith Jarrett’s At the Deer Head Inn: The Complete Recordings, Sheila Jordan and Jaki Byard.
Jul 16, 2026 1:34 PM
The DownBeat Critics Poll never ceases to amaze! And the 74th Edition offered plenty of accolades for poll veterans and…
Ibrahim was an early jazz acolyte, studying the music via 78s he would buy from soldiers stationed in South Africa — who also gave him the nickname “Dollar.”
Jun 30, 2026 3:19 PM
Pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, the NEA Jazz Master from South Africa who helped fuse the folk music of his home country with…
Joe Lovano’s Paramount Quartet will record live at New York’s Village Vanguard for ECM records on Aug. 26–27.
Jul 22, 2026 12:46 PM
One of Joe Lovano’s buzz terms is “the moment of now” and with seemingly infinite patience — despite a schedule…
“There was something about her tone and sound and phrasing — an intimacy, a vulnerability, an honesty,” says Joshua Redman, who produced Cavassa’s record after she toured with his band.
Jun 16, 2026 1:27 AM
Gabrielle Cavassa is an avowed perfectionist. So when she failed to place despite becoming a finalist in the 2018 Sarah…
