A companion piece to his 2021 interview book Griot: Examining the Lives of Jazz's Great Storytellers,
Griot: This Is Important!
finds trumpeter
Jeremy Pelt
playing songs inspired by some of his most potent interviews. Here, we get intimate and thought-provoking insights from many of the artists featured in the book, including
Paul West
,
JD Allen
Harold Mabern
Rene Marie
, and others. Each conversation is accompanied by an original work from
Pelt
and his quintet with vibraphonist
Chien Chien Lu
, pianist
Victor Gould
, bassist
Vicente Archer
, and drummer
Allan Mednard
. Musically, these are some of the most lyrical and harmonically lush songs
has recorded and work in unison with the spoken interview tracks. Some tracks, including
's own introduction to the album, as well as his conversation with pianist
Bertha Hope
, find him underscoring the words with music. Elsewhere, he presents the conversations on their own without musical accompaniment and then follows with an instrumental track. Many of these conversations delve into issues of racial and cultural identity, and
's music is fittingly nuanced. Often his songs reflect the subject matter of the interview, as on "Carry Christ Wherever You Are," which follows his conversation with bassist
discussing his Lutheran minister father. Similarly,
's "A Beautiful (F*cking) Lie" follows his interview with vocalist
discussing her dissonant feelings surrounding her identity as a black American. While
's music certainly stands on its own, the interviews included on
help to frame the deep sense of community and tradition that inspired it. ~ Matt Collar