Damon Locks Black Monument Ensemble — NOW (International Anthem)
Photo by Kristie Kahns
Damon Locks reconvenes the Black Monument Ensemble for a follow up to their 2019 debut Where Future Unfolds. NOW is largely celebratory in tone but tinged with anger at oppressive power structures and the systemic effort not only not to deal with racism but also to deflect blame back onto its victims. Locks situates the fulcrum of both oppression and resistance in the body and soul, the criminalization of black presence in public and private space versus the struggle to escape centuries of dehumanization through creative expression, community building and resistance. His song lyrics celebrate the spirit whilst the spoken word samples he uses are pointedly political. The ensemble merges spiritual jazz, grouped voices, elements of hip-hop, gospel and soul to explore these issues and celebrate the joy and freedom of the creative process.
Recorded during summer of 2020 under COVID protocols in locked down Chicago, NOW is an invocation of the inner strength of the individual and the power of community. Clarinetist Angel Bat Dawid, cornet player Ben LaMar Gay, drummer Dana Hall and percussionist Arif Smith make strong contributions but it is the voices that shine. The choir of Phillip Armstrong, Monique Golding, Tramaine Parker, Richie Parks, Erica Rene and Eric Tre’von take flight, giving body to Locks’ consciousness raising words.
“Melodies in gold, dipped in sunlight/Levitating song, laughter, delight/You can see it all, universal insight.” The distance between the performers in the backyard of Experimental Sound Studio during the live recording fails to quell the energy of “Now (Forever Momentary Space)” and if the lyrics read anodyne on paper they take power from the political context and circumstances in which they were recorded. Likewise “Keep Your Mind Free” speaks of the unrestrained power of the imagination as a starting point for change. Hall and Smith lock into a polyrhythmic groove matched by the polyphony of the voices counterpointed by Gay and Dawid’s interweaving winds. “Barbara Hogu-Jones and Elizabeth Catlett Discuss Liberation” pays tribute to two groundbreaking artists who were seminal in the representation of an assertive, politically potent black identity. “The Body Is Electric” celebrates the Movement on the street with Dawid unspooling a dervish solo to the encouraging chants of the choir and stirring backing from Hall and Smith. Two sound collages based on spoken word samples, Locks’ electronics and Hall’s drums bring an experimental edge to the proceedings.
Locks and the Black Monuments Ensemble pack a lot into 31 minutes; as a celebration of identity and creativity with a spiritual and political message intrinsic to the exercise of those impulses, NOW will have you both dancing and thinking.
