Thread for Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah (f/k/a Christian Scott)

On the occasion of the impending release of his new album Bark Out Thunder Roar Out Lightning at the end of this month.

https://christianscott.bandcamp.com/album/bark-out-thunder-roar-out-lightning

Very hyped for this.

oooh I'm amped for this too

This is stunning. It's recognizably his project but also a departure, conjuring up a kind of transcendent and entrancing but rooted folk music, cosmic and earthy at the same time. Even among the specific New Orleans refs, I'm not sure you'd call much or any of this "jazz," which of course he wouldn't anyway. It's dominated by strings, drums, and voices. I don't think he even plays trumpet on it, but there is some birdsong

Adjuah was already one of my favourite living musicians -- I'm pretty floored by this

It's definitely his Mardi Gras Indian record. I like the tracks that are pretty straight renditions of Indian music (with more harmonies), ie Iko/Un-na-nae, Shallow Water, Golden Crown. Not so into some of the other ones but it's an interesting take.

Agree with Jordan but damn those straight up songs are some of the best stuff I’ve heard in awhile. Had “Shallow Water” on repeat last night

Here are some other versions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrTqLtlTi-8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO8whcNlPII

I love this album unreservedly

Yeah, really digging this. I've dug his stuff for several years, and I also love New Orleans Indian stuff in general — all the call and response, the endless grooves — so this is sweet.

I interviewed him for Stereogum. Our conversation was an hour long and covered a lot more territory. I may put the full transcript somewhere if I can find the time to get it polished up.

excited

This album is great. I swear to god it is just a coincidence that I am making jambalaya tonight, I had this playing and it didn't even occur to me until I was almost done.

Fantastic album

both versions of the title track are jaw dropping. the first for the poetry and the second for ele howell's drumming

Feel very happy to have seen him live a few years back, and this new effort is a darn treat.

The lyrics on Shallow Water are so good. Anyone know anything about how they were composed? They seem pretty different from his uncle’s version which is the only other one I’ve heard.

Nope. Don’t know.

I missed his recent Kennedy Center DC gig , but got tickets to upcoming free December one at the Library of Congress theatre

The lyrics sound to me like the standard sort of calls in these Indian songs, where there's a whole vocabulary of phrases (of course) but I assume everyone has their own style and contributions too. Some of the lines I've heard before and others seem like ones he wrote.

Other examples (from brass band meeting Indian music):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giDgHlDbqmk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO8whcNlPII

"Rattler bit me/the rattler died" is fucking dope. i assume it all comes from the blues call and response stuff as well. he sounds damn near like Bo Diddley on Shallow Water

People might also like this record of two dudes doing Indian vocals & tambourine + one electronic producer, it has its moments:

https://79rsgang.bandcamp.com/album/expect-the-unexpected

Like this cut -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9hZ2hCFBm0

he appears on the (great) new fauntleroy/martin album

Forgot to mention here that I saw Adjuah with a band December 1, 2023 in a free show at the Library of Congress. He played with a band that included guys who had played with him over the years, although some of them he suggested had not played with him recently. The band had Weedie Braimah on percussion, Cecil Alexander on guitar, Joe Dyson on drums, and Kriss Funn on bass. I was hoping to hear lots of cuts from the recent album with the Mardi Gras and Malian influence. He opened with one where he was using his unique harp-like instrument, but then suddenly there were tech problems with the sound for that. After a break, he switched to trumpet. The rest of the show then sounded a bit like electric Miles Davis, with guitarist Alexander's instrument being really loud in the mix and Adjuah's trumpet hidden a bit. It was a powerful funky , jazzy black rock roar. They took a break on some songs from that approach and offered more subtle efforts with Adjuah's trumpet taking the lead. He also talked a lot in between songs about life, relationships, racism, and more .