Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra: Harriet Tubman
Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra
Harriet Tubman (Noir)
www.marcusshelby.com
Rating: 
Harriet Tubman is a familiar yet largely unknown figure to most Americans. She is revered — but only vaguely — as a black Moses, guiding escaped slaves to freedom through the famed “underground railroad.” Tubman was this, but also much more: nurse and Union spy during the Civil War, activist and champion of the suffrage movement, hero and an icon to an entire people.
Inspired by Tubman’s remarkable life, bassist Marcus Shelby has created a a swing and gospel-based oratorio that is expansive, gripping and utterly triumphant. Spanning twelve movements and two CDs, Harriet Tubman shows off the vibrant cohesion of Shelby’s fifteen-piece orchestra and establishes him as a jazz composer and arranger of the first order.
At the heart of the work is Tubman herself, a role brilliantly filled by singer Faye Carol. Shelby notes that he had cast Carol’s voice as Tubman’s even before writing the music, and it shows. World-weary but firm and defiant, stretching into evocative moans, shattering cries and powerhouse scatting, Carol provides both a gravitational center for the music and an unstoppable force behind it.
Shelby’s most obvious musical touchpoint is Duke Ellington: the echoes of “Black, Brown and Beige” and Ellington’s Sacred Concerts ring strong here. Comparisons can also be drawn to Charles Mingus and Wynton Marsalis, but Shelby has his own voice, honed through extensive work for theater and ballet, as well as his well-received Port Chicago suite (2006). Reflecting that background, many of the sections of Harriet Tubman seem tailor-made for stage movement, with themes bouncing, leaping and twirling between instruments, and deep-running grooves flaring into exuberant expressions of the spirit. Stark vocal harmonies carry both the pain and hope of history, as the music combines the call and response of field hollers, the universal throb of the blues, and the dynamic swing of the Harlem Renaissance into a timeless blend.
The score, carefully crafted and extensively workshopped before the recording, brings the best out of Shelby’s musicians. Trumpeters Mike Olmos and Darren Johnston provide particularly strong voices, as do alto saxophonist Gabe Eaton and clarinetist/tenor saxophonist Rob Barics. And the vocal performances are unfailingly moving, as Carol is supported by swinging tenor Kenny Washington, the pure gospel soprano of Jeannine Anderson and Joseph Mace’s resonant, sober baritone.
Shelby’s bass rarely takes a prominent position in this performance, but he provides a gently guiding influence at all times. He is calm, fluid and assured, and with good reason: Harriet Tubman is an exceptional tribute, one fully befitting the stature of its subject.
Filed Under: CD Reviews
Wow! Ok, now I really want to hear this one. It sounds fabulous.