Scott Clark 4tet - Bury My Heart (2015)

Cameron Ralston double bass / Jason Scott saxophone / Bob Miller trumpet / Scott Clark drums + JC Kuhl bass clarinet & Bryan Hooten trombone on “Broken Treaties”

The title of this recording isn’t a mere literary reference (to “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee”, by “Dee” Brown). Just like the novel, the music inside is a tragic and soulful portrait of one of the darkest pages of human history and particularly the United States past (with effects continuing to present day): the Native-American genocide. Created by jazz drummer and composer Scott Clark, himself of Native-American descent, it has the form of a suite but none of its formal, classical, aspects. The approach is irreverent, visceral, raw and urgent, further developing the unique style of this incredible musician coming from the vibrant scene of Richmond, Virginia. This is downbeat music, very much connecting to the inner feeling of that musical language called jazz, and we do feel the pain, but there’s no negativity on it. As Brian Edward Jones writes in the liner notes, remembering Albert Ayler, «music is the healing force of the universe». And what heals us is the freshness, the novelty and the creativity of this magnificent opus. Here is a masterpiece, not just another jazz album.