For fans of: Inter-generational jazz explorations.
While the inbuilt trepidation toward a contemporary reworking of a latter-life album by poet and Civil Rights-era figure like Gil Scott-Heron is the natural first reaction, on hearing the album, the reality of this unexpected meeting and posthumous collaboration is one of recognizing a great and complementary synergy. Jazz drummer and pivotal member of the surrounding Chicago contemporary International Anthem label scene, Makaya McCraven beautifully reworks Scott-Heron’s 10 year old album "I’m New Here", resituating the poet in the improvisatory tradition. While hyperbolic, Pitchfork's claim is that the label and its roster is "Rewriting the Rules of Jazz", that assertion carries over here to a richly complex and fully fleshed-out new set of garments that Scott-Heron wears with stylish aplomb. One would never conceive that "Gil Scott-Heron’s Legacy Is a Work in Progress", but as the New York Times stipulates, "Makaya McCraven Sees the Future of Jazz Through Layers of History", channeling that vision into his new framing for Scott-Heron on, "We're New Again: A Reimagining by Makaya McCraven". - JP