The Jazz Passengers - Big Large: In Memory of Curtis Fowlkes (2024)

The Jazz Passengers loom large in the creative history of New York's Lower East Side. In the 40-odd years since their founding, their uniquely downtown mission of "cross-cultural exchange" has enlisted everyone from Jeff Buckley and Debbie Harry to Nick Hakim and Onyx Collective. Their signature blend of avant-garde jazz, 80s funk, world music, and 20th-century classical, coupled with lyrical provocations that range from the wistful and tragic to the vaudevillian and absurd, is a snapshot of the frenetic, syncretic New York of yesteryear: a living memory, a yearning we all have for something just out of reach. The Jazz Passengers embody that same energy - the energy of a scene and style that they helped create, one that has left an indelible mark on the culture of the city they call home.

Co-founder Curtis Fowlkes passed away in August of 2023. Recorded shortly before his death, Big Large: In Memory of Curtis Fowlkes is a heartfelt tribute by The Jazz Passengers to their brother, a New York original - and it is imbued with all of the humor, drama, swing, groove, and chaos that have been hallmarks of their work from day one.

Personnel:
Curtis Fowlkes - trombone and vocals
Roy Nathanson - saxophones and vocals
Sam Bardfeld - violin
Gabe Nathanson - trumpet and vocals
Brad Jones - bass, background vocals
Marc Ribot - guitar
Bill Ware - vibraphone, Wurlitzer, background vocals
E.J. Rodriguez – drums

Tracklist:
1.01 - The Jazz Passengers - You're The Fool (5:31)
1.02 - The Jazz Passengers - Kidnapped (5:13)
1.03 - The Jazz Passengers - Salty Tears (5:34)
1.04 - The Jazz Passengers - Wednesday Afternoon (5:18)
1.05 - The Jazz Passengers - If I Only Had A Brain (7:50)
1.06 - The Jazz Passengers - Carol Ann (5:32)
1.07 - The Jazz Passengers - Fire At Keaton's Bar & Grille (6:51)
1.08 - The Jazz Passengers - Imitation of a Kiss (5:57)
1.09 - The Jazz Passengers - Jolly Street (9:47)