The poet and rapper Saul Williams was so important to the '90s slam-poetry world that he played the lead in the 1998 film Slam, and he's kept working steadily ever since; we've recently posted his collaborations with Deerhoof and Heems. Carlos Niño, meanwhile, is at the center of an entire ambient jazz universe in Los Angeles. He was the main collaborator, for instance, on André 3000's comeback album New Blue Sun and on all of André's flute-based activities since then. Now, Williams and Niño have come together to make Saul Williams Meets Carlos Niño & Friends At TreePeople, a new collaborative LP that features a number of other young jazz greats, including Kamasi Washington.
Saul Williams and Carlos Niño recorded Saul Williams Meets Carlos Niño & Friends At TreePeople last December in LA's Coldwater Canyon Park, on the grounds of TreePeople, the conservationist organization. It's a free-wandering, improvisational work that pairs Williams' words with music made by the group of musicians that Niño put together. In addition to Kamasi Washignton's tenor sax, the group includes Nate Mercereau on samples and guitar synthesizer, Aaron Shaw on flute and saxophone, Andres Renteria on a bunch of different forms of percussion, sound design and electronics from Francesca Heart, and Maia on flute, vibraphone, and vocals. Williams' fellow poet Aja Monet appears on one track.
"Sound then Words," the opening track from the new LP, is a 16-minute excursion that really sets a mood. Even Saul Williams words become part of the sonic fabric. Williams and Carlos Niño, friends since the late '90s, are heading out on tour together this fall. Below, check out "Sound then Words," the album's tracklist, and their dates.
TRACKLIST:
01 "Sound then Words"
02 "We would lift our Voice"
03 "We are calling out in this moment"
04 "The Water is Rising / as we surpass the firing squad"(feat. Aja Monet)
05 "We have work to do . . . (speaking after the concert)"
TOUR DATES:
9/27 - Seattle, WA @ Walk The Block Festival
9/30 - Oakland, CA @ Yoshi’s
10/01 - Oakland, CA @ Yoshi’s
10/02 - Los Angeles, CA @ TreePeople
10/04 - Los Angeles, CA @ TreePeople
10/13 - Atlanta, CA @ City Winery
10/14 - Atlanta, CA @ City Winery
10/15 - Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre
10/16 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat
10/17 - Philadelphia, PA @ City Winery
10/19 - Brooklyn, NY @ Sultan Room
11/06 - London, UK @ Pitchfork Festival
11/15 - Utrecht, Netherlands @ Le Guess Who? Festival
Saul Williams Meets Carlos Niño & Friends At TreePeople is out 8/28 on International Anthem.
