{"id":22349,"date":"2021-01-18T15:00:28","date_gmt":"2021-01-18T20:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occhimagazine.com\/?p=22349"},"modified":"2022-02-19T12:04:38","modified_gmt":"2022-02-19T17:04:38","slug":"live-from-the-prison-nation-by-alonzo-demetrius","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occhimagazine.com\/live-from-the-prison-nation-by-alonzo-demetrius\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Live from the Prison Nation’ by Alonzo Demetrius"},"content":{"rendered":"<body><p>Whoever says jazz is dead clearly has not heard Alonzo Demetrius.\u00a0 The young trumpeter not only has language on the instrument and paired it with electronic effects, but he is also an amazing composer.\u00a0 His live recording \u201cLive from the Prison Nation\u201d is as real as it gets.\u00a0 The performance put on by his group is nothing short of spectacular, and the organicness of the live performance makes it even more exciting to listen to.\u00a0 He is joined by Yesseh Furaha-Ali on saxophone, Daniel Abraham Jr. on piano, Benjamin Jephta on bass, and Brian Richburg Jr. on drums.\u00a0 It is the first instrumental record produced by Onyx Productions outside of the amazing projects recorded by founder and legendary drummer, Ralph Peterson Jr.\u00a0 The fact that maestro Peterson is releasing this album on his label is a testament to the greatness of this amazing musician and his collaborators.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cExpectations\u201d starts with the strong-willed voice of Angela Davis and then Demetrius\u2019 trumpet comes into the texture along with his band.\u00a0 The music is filled with a sense of earnestness and is always looking forward.\u00a0 The exchange that takes place between Demetrius and Furaha-Ali is simply amazing and filled with virtuosity.\u00a0 Then the two link up in unison to send off the piano solo played by Abraham which starts as pensive and quickly builds to a crescendo. The declaratory theme comes back in before fading out with a piano vamp that the listener will recognize from the beginning.<\/p>\n<p>There is a dark, unsettling atmosphere that hangs in the air upon listening to \u201cThe Principal.\u201d\u00a0 The unsettling vamp that Demetrius plays over along with the effects he implements sets the stage perfectly for when the band finally comes in together.\u00a0 It\u2019s a slow tempo that at times feels as if it is going out of tempo and fills the listener with a sense of anticipation.\u00a0 While this is the only selection on the album that is not composed by Demetrius, it definitely shows the young composer\u2019s ability to program music into a story that flows from start to finish.\u00a0 Not one to keep the spotlight to himself, Demetrius allows a feature to further highlight Furaha-Ali\u2019s amazing talents in \u201cYesseh\u2019s Interlude.\u201d\u00a0 The saxophonist displays amazing technique and an abundance of melodic ideas.\u00a0 \u201cMumia\u2019s Guidance\u201d is a tastefully orchestrated piece that fits with the pre recorded speech of political activist Mumia Abu-Jamal.\u00a0 Much like the aforementioned iconic figure, the music embodies a revolutionary state of mind.\u00a0 The strongly stated melody is a glistening beacon of light for those striving for change.\u00a0 The words and the music entangled together into one, seamlessly flowing together.\u00a0 It is a masterpiece that at the same time is a call for social justice and leaves the listener reflecting on the sounds of the music as well as the social landscape in which it was derived.<\/p>\n<p>The title of F.O.O. Shit no doubt stands out and grabs the attention of the listener.\u00a0 It\u2019s as if to say, \u201cHey! Pay attention!\u201d\u00a0 \u201cF.O.O. Shit Intro\u201d is a simple melody over the chant \u201cThis is what community looks like!\u201d and it stirs the fighting spirit.\u00a0 \u201cF.O.O. Shit\u201d is a memorizing and exciting climax to this incredible project.\u00a0 Furaha-Ali takes house with a fiery solo followed by Demetrius\u2019 effects trumpet playing, which is full of ideas and the sound effects implemented provide for a breath-taking sonic journey.\u00a0 The communication between all the band members is at times telepathic, much like the rest of this album.\u00a0 Demetrius has definitely assembled a great crew of musicians to bring his artistry to life, and the message is one that I hope people will take the time to listen to and reflect on.\u00a0 I look forward to many great things to come from this amazing artist.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For further information on Alonzo Demetrius, please visit his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ademetriusmusic.com\/\">website<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Whoever says jazz is dead clearly has not heard Alonzo Demetrius.\u00a0 The young trumpeter not<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":22350,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[433,141,2020],"tags":[1046,66,106,67,1875,81],"class_list":["post-22349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","category-reviews","category-spotlight-on-jazz","tag-jazz","tag-music","tag-review","tag-reviews","tag-rising-stars-in-music","tag-songwriter"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Live-from-the-prison-nation.jpg?fit=800%2C723&ssl=1",800,723,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Live-from-the-prison-nation.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Live-from-the-prison-nation.jpg?fit=300%2C271&ssl=1",300,271,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Live-from-the-prison-nation.jpg?fit=640%2C578&ssl=1",640,578,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Live-from-the-prison-nation.jpg?fit=640%2C578&ssl=1",640,578,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Live-from-the-prison-nation.jpg?fit=800%2C723&ssl=1",800,723,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Live-from-the-prison-nation.jpg?fit=800%2C723&ssl=1",800,723,true],"chromenews-featured":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Live-from-the-prison-nation.jpg?fit=800%2C723&ssl=1",800,723,true],"chromenews-large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Live-from-the-prison-nation.jpg?resize=800%2C575&ssl=1",800,575,true],"chromenews-medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Live-from-the-prison-nation.jpg?resize=590%2C410&ssl=1",590,410,true],"tptn_thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Live-from-the-prison-nation.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"profile_24":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Live-from-the-prison-nation.jpg?resize=24%2C24&ssl=1",24,24,true],"profile_48":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Live-from-the-prison-nation.jpg?resize=48%2C48&ssl=1",48,48,true],"profile_96":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Live-from-the-prison-nation.jpg?resize=96%2C96&ssl=1",96,96,true],"profile_150":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Live-from-the-prison-nation.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"profile_300":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/occhimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Live-from-the-prison-nation.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1",300,300,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"Jonathan 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