Comfortable Sounds

As I was previewing new music this morning, I came across a real gem of sound. The album is Red Earth by Dee Dee Bridgewater, and it seemlessly wraps traditional American Jazz music in the sounds of Africa. For musical historians, this mixture shouldn't be much of a stretch as jazz is a direct decendent of many types of African music. Still, what Dee Dee Bridgewater has accomplished is a feat of musical prowess. It takes clean composing and highly polished musicianship to make music from another world sound as comfortable as the jazz I can hear in my own backyard. Bridgewater creates an absolute masterpiece with varying sounds interwoven, but what's exceptional about this music is that it doesn't sound plastic, it doesn't sound like music that has been a constant labor of love. Instead this music sounds organic and rich like it was grown in the best soil.

"Afro Blue", which was previously released, sounds vibrant and "rich as the night" to pull a phrase from the song itself. "Bad Spirits (Bani)" is composed of lyrics sung in both an African dialect and in English, and this lyrical trade-off is paralleled by the musical trade-off of African and American sounds. "Mama Don't Ever Go Away" is so well-crafted that you don't even notice the piano that's sprinkled into the song, unless you listen carefully. "Long Time Ago" is the first slow song, but it's still a celebration song, and Dee Dee's voice reminds me most of a bird singing at dusk. "Red Earth" is the first real blues song, but in this context blues doesn't seem to meld as well with African music as Bridgewater's jazz does. This is unfortunate, because Dee Dee's voice seems built to sing blues just as well as jazz and with more power than on her jazz numbers.

"Red Earth" is a fine song on its own, but the music seems better matched to jazz lyrics and delivery. There's a certain level of improvisation that can be found on the whole album, but blues isn't really known for its improvisational potential; and, although there's certainly room for creativity in any kind of music, the sentiment of a great blues song can be overwhelmed by too much sound. The uneven sound can be found again on the song "Compared to What" which is another blues number. Still, Dee Dee Bridgwater's album carries only a few of these unsuccessful forays into blues music, and is ultimately redeemed by many successful jazz fusion numbers.

This album is a celebration at its roots. It's a celebration of the potential of music, the culture found in music, and the cadence and rhythm of the music itself. Red Earth is an album that captures the sounds of summer, of vibrant, exploding life.