Search - Denys Baptiste :: Let Freedom Ring

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 1963 I Have a Dream speech is one of the most spectacular speeches in history. It's also one of the most musical examples of modern oratory. The London tenor saxophonist Denys Baptiste transcribed King's words and phrases from that speech into a four-part suite. Baptiste fronts a large international ensemble, which includes some of his mates from the Jazz Jamaica All Stars. Interspersed with the celebrated Nigerian poet Ben Okri's poem, "Mental Fight," this opus is an impressive mélange of many genres. "I Have a Dream" alternately swings between a waltzy meter and an Afro-Cuban groove. "With This Faith" is straight outta Charles Mingus's "Better Git Hit in Yo? Soul," the title track is imbued with some stark, Trane-ish tones, and "Free at Last," brilliantly concludes this wonderful work. Like Sonny Rollins's Freedom Suite and Max Roach's We Insist!, this masterpiece proves that justice and jazz do mix. --Eugene Holley, Jr.