Search - Christian Scott :: Anthem

He deserves more press

M. Wells | 11/17/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Christian Scott is quite the talent. Anthem, the follow up to his debut, Rewind That, finds Christian expanding upon his distinct sound with a maturity not often found in young musicians.



Christian Scott is exciting to listen to because there is no one that sounds quite like him. Anthem, while certainly a jazz album, incorporates many different styles of music and amazingly it all fits and flows together as one work.



New Orleans is Christian's home town and it should be noted that this album was written in response to Hurricane Katrina. The album is emotive, and it truly does sound like one long elegy to the New Orleans that existed prior to the summer of 2005. The fact that a young man is able to express tragedy through the medium of jazz music with such poignancy shows that Christian Scott is a special musician.



I recommend anyone reading this review buy Anthem. It isn't a five star album but it is a very good album that deserves the listener's patience. If anything, buy it and its predecessor just so you can experience the evolution of one of music's brightest hopes.



I look forward to more releases by Christian Scott in the future. I hope Christian continues to experiment with his sound and expand his musical horizons. This is one trumpeter I can see carrying Miles Davis' torch and this statement should not be taken lightly."

Late Miles meets Radiohead, or Ben Allison meets Marcus Mill

Anthony Cooper | Louisville, KY United States | 03/02/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This CD stands out from the average jazz disc, because the band plays a lot like a rock band. The typical song (they all have the same 'sound', except for one which dips into smooth jazz territory) is midtempo, with the drummer hitting the snare on the 2 and 4 (like a rock or R&B drummer). The keyboardist plays a minor key melody, but in a rock style, playing sequential eighth notes. The bass player plays a funky bassline. That sets things up for Christian Scott, who plays a lot of slow moody trumpet on this CD. His trumpet playing is also minimalistic, it's reminiscent of late Miles, but with a stronger tone. I've probably done the equivalent of describing a birthday cake by talking about flour, butter, and whatnot, but it all comes together. The songs on Anthem are about Katrina and violence, and he keeps it consistant -- there's no Lee Morgan hard bop soloing over a walking bassline. This is a very good CD, and it's certainly unique. Mr. Scott walks the tightrope between good-simple and blah-smooth-simple very well. In addition, the final rap song ties together jazz and the spoken word better than Mingus was able to do (though if Mingus hooked up with a time-travelling rapper in 1959 - look out). Anyone who likes jazz with rock song forms should get this."

2007 Jazz Album of the Year!!!

David Evans | Miami Beach, FL | 02/03/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Without question, this record should be the top Contemporary Jazz album of 2007, if not the top Jazz album of 2007. An incredible, powerful and moving effort by Scott that makes his solid rookie effort, "Rewind That", seem ordinary. That effort was a good listen - particularly for a first album. But try "Anthem" and be moved by what Jazz "iz" today. You will be moved and wonderfully entertained all at once with this terrific cd."