Jan 21, 2025 7:54 PM
Southern California Fires Hit the Jazz Community
Roy McCurdy and his wife had just finished eating dinner and were relaxing over coffee in their Altadena home, when he…
Nolatet’s No Revenge Necessary is due out April 27 on Royal Potato Family.
(Photo: Courtesy Royal Potato Family)The boozy “Black Sheep” is the lead single off Nolatet’s pending full-length, No Revenge Necessary. Its video debuts today.
The ensemble, comprising vibraphonist Mike Dillon, pianist Brian Haas, bassist James Singleton and drummer Johnny Vidacovich, are following up 2016’s Dogs with the April 27 album on Royal Potato Family.
“‘Dogs’ was beginner’s luck,” Singleton said. “We had just started as a band, and we managed to somehow pull together a cohesive program. To me that small miracle was a good omen for the future.”
“Black Sheep” is scheduled for a Feb. 23 release on streaming services, including Spotify, AppleMusic and Tidal.
“James Singleton’s compositions are New Orleans. ‘Black Sheep’ is one of my favorites. The first melody comes with the stinky bassline,” Hass said. “Then he sets the bass loop in place and sneaks in on top with a dirty pocket trumpet. The way the two melodies work together forms a counterpoint that is so skeezy it smells like the aftermath of a Mardi Gras parade.”
Band members count decades of performing, as well as membership in acts like Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Garage a Trois, Critters Buggin and the Dead Kenny Gs. But Nolatet’s No Revenge Necessary seems to drop the band into the middle of the nation’s current political landscape.
“For me the over-riding theme moving forward is forgiveness,” Singleton said. “Hopefully, the strength of the music can serve as a reminder of the possibility of growth and healing through forgiving.”
No Revenge Necessary is set for an April 27 release on vinyl, CD and in digital formats. For more information about Nolatet, visit the band’s website. DB
Gerald and John Clayton at the family home in Altadena during a photo shoot for the June 2022 cover of DownBeat. The house was lost during the Los Angeles fires.
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