Feb 3, 2025 10:49 PM
The Essence of Emily
In the April 1982 issue of People magazine, under the heading “Lookout: A Guide To The Up and Coming,” jazz…
Mama, You Can Bet! (SomeOthaShip Connect) is Georgia Anne Muldrow’s third album release under her spiritual name, Jyoti.
(Photo: Pricilla Jimenez)Georgia Anne Muldrow once described understanding herself as a medic—an artist who heals.
Throughout her career, the Grammy-nominated singer, producer and multi-instrumentalist has released music that defies genre, questions constructs and uplifts communities whose voices have been suppressed. Among her innumerable collaborators have been Pharoah Sanders, Robert Glasper and Jason Moran, who commissioned “Muldrow Meets Mingus,” a 2017 evening-length concert performed at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and Symphony Center in Chicago.
In August, Muldrow is set to issue Mama, You Can Bet! as Jyoti, the sacred name she received from Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda—and an artistic persona she reserves solely for releases on SomeOthaShip Connect, the label and production company she cofounded with fellow artist and partner Dudley Perkins. The album features only one special guest, a frequent collaborator: saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin.
From her home in Las Vegas, Muldrow discussed the perks of playing synthesizer, musical alchemy and the age-old question: What’s in a name?
The following has been edited for length and clarity.
This record marks your third release under the name Jyoti.
Jyoti records are very close to my heart. [Jyoti is] not a nickname. It’s a dear name—it’s a spiritual name. Your name is the biggest mantra that you’ll ever say in your life. I believe it’s something you grow into; it takes a lot of time to fully understand who you are. There’s lots of layers to the meaning of my name. It’s light. But it’s also celestial flame [laughs]. Furthermore, it’s the fire from Shiva’s consciousness. The older I get, the more levels of the name unlock. And it seems as if there’s more I have to understand about myself in order for those levels to unlock.
“She said, ‘A lot of people are going to try and stop you,’” Sheryl Bailey recalls of the advice she received from jazz guitarist Emily Remler (1957–’90). “‘They’re going to say you slept with somebody, you’re a dyke, you’re this and that and the other. Don’t listen to them, and just keep playing.’”
Feb 3, 2025 10:49 PM
In the April 1982 issue of People magazine, under the heading “Lookout: A Guide To The Up and Coming,” jazz…
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