It's been so busy that there has been no mention yet of my new operating group- J. Free and the Down Low. We have had two shows so far and they have gone very well. I suppose the group is exploring original compositions and arrangements, but also new ways of dealing with the language of developing improvisations. There are many stages to the rhythmic nature of the music, some masked beneath the surface and some openly manifested in the sound surfaces. Check the exciting lineup-

Dan Oestreicher- Alto sax/ Bari sax/ Electronics
Jeff Albert- Trombone
Doug Garrison- Drums
Devon Taylor- Tuba
Jonathan Freilich- guitar

Who is J. Free? You'd have to ask Wadada Leo Smith or Lisa Harris or Gianna Chachere or Damon Locks.

Which brings me to the more important part of this post. Wadada Leo Smith is coming in to New Orleans to give a presentation on his cycle, Ten Freedom Summers, about the civil rights movement across the 20th century. This will be at The New Quorum, on this same evening. The talk is part of gearing up for a performance on the work in New Orleans later in the year. The whole thing kicks off at 6:30pm.

Where: The New Quorum- 2435 Esplanade Ave, New Orleans, Louisiana 70119

Other details:

Trumpeter/composer, 2016 Doris Duke Performing Artist, and former New Quorum resident, Wadada Leo Smith is returning to New Orleans! Join us for a special presentation about his Pulitzer Prize nominated work Ten Freedom Summers, which will be produced in New Orleans. Followed by a short performance by Wadada and additional music by J.Free and the Down Low. Refreshments served.

Ten Freedom Summers is the work of a lifetime by one of jazz’s true visionaries, a kaleidoscopic, spiritually charged opus inspired by the struggle for African-American freedom and equality before the law.

Jonathan Freilich Presents