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Byron Asher's Skrontch Music: Lord, when you send the rain
By
Byron Asher
saxophoneAsher has described

Louis Armstrong
trumpet and vocals1901 - 1971

Cassie Kinoshi
saxophoneb.1993

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
band / ensemble / orchestrab.1999
Fannie Lou Hamer's voice greets us from 1968 on opener "The Problem With Mississippi." She tells us Mississippi is not actually Mississippi's problem, Mississippi is America's problem. Her words arrive in echoed and spliced form over organ-like electronica from Peter Bowling. Then comes a sobering intro of brass, bowed bass and

Oscar Rossignoli
piano"The Break" has fragments of speech from a Katrina survivor amid bashing drums, horns blaring and all these elements trampling upon each other. Asher is surely striving here for the harrowing chaos of rising floodwaters and people caught up in survival mode. The ensemble plays it steamy and moody on "Re: Backwater Blues" where an emphatic chorus relieves the tension made real by slashing percussion. "Duet" sees Asher's sax jibber and jab against itself for two minutes, before the catchy "Threads" brings a hot parade of Latin melodies and Havana rhythms, an arousing mambo to kickstart any carnival.
The closing two cuts share one origin, as "Ma Rainey's Barrelhouse Blues" grafts Asher's own take onto the Georgian diva's 1923 recording. The original's tinny bawdiness is given a decadent yet dreamy lustre, as if Rainey's ghost is present demanding a wake then a shindig. "Papa likes his outside women, Mama likes her outside men" is a line from the above track and this piece, a life-giving song, imbibes some of Rainey's unsinkable spirit.
Doug Garrison
drumsLike jazz cats playing the blues and all its rough stuff, Asher's group is proudly versatile. It can dance without restraint or be deeply expressive as required. Lord, When You Send The Rain makes for a resounding and passionate narrative, the latest act in a very human story. ">
Track Listing
The Problem With Mississippi; New Louisiana Hoodoo Blues; The Break; Re: Backwater Blues; Duet; Threads; Ma Rainey's Barrelhouse Blues; Papa likes his outside women, Mama likes her outside men.
Personnel
Byron Asher
saxophoneAurora Nealand
saxophoneReagan Mitchell
saxophoneRicardo Pascal
saxophoneShaye Cohn
cornetOscar Rossignoli
pianoJames Singleton
bass, acousticDoug Garrison
drumsAdditional Instrumentation
Emily Frederickson: trombone; Steve Glenn: sousaphone; Peter J Bowling: live electronics.
Album information
Title: Lord, when you send the rain | Year Released: 2024 | Record Label: Sinking City Records
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