NIKARA WARREN & BLACK WALL STREET

Switch Hit Records

Nikara Warren, vibraphone/vocals/synthesizers/composer; Craig Hill, tenor saxophone; Alonzo Demetrius, trumpet; Corey Sanchez, electric & acoustic guitar; Axel Tosca, piano/keyboards/ Fender Rhodes/organ/synthesizers; Parker McCallister, elec. Bass; David Frazier Jr., drums/SPD; Hailey Niswanger, bass clarinet/clarinet/saxophones/flute; J. Hoard, vocals; (on Stratford Penthouse tune, FEATURED GUESTS:  Tamir Shimerling, upright bass; EJ Strickland, drums; Kenny Barron, piano.)

Nikara Warren has seasoned Marvin Gaye’s famous “Inner city Blues” tune with a brand new, spicy flavor.  Craig Hill plays a mean tenor saxophone solo during this arrangement.  Additionally, Alonza Demetrius plays a dynamic solo on trumpet. Axel Tosca takes the piece ‘outside’ on his piano solo, exploring the realms of modern jazz and the freedom that jazz improvisation offers.  I enjoyed the funky electric bass line that Parker McCallister adds to this tune’s production, tightly in sync with drummer David Frazier Jr.  One of the things I love about Nikara Warren’s project is the way she and these awesome musicians weave various genre’s into the mix.

In fact, McCallister’s bass line is spotlighted on Track #2, an original tune written by vibraphonist and composer, Nikara Warren. Her composition is titled “Eastern Parkway” and it’s a song that is fused with motion and energy.  Warren invites guitarist Corey Sanchez to step out and bring his solo talent to the forefront. Right after that, Warren leaps into the spotlight on vibraphone.

On Track#4 Warren introduces Hip Hop into a song called “2011 (For James Casey)” composed by Casey and Nazomi Yamaguchi. It starts out at the top sounding a lot like “Blue Skies” but takes a turn into its own melody and contemporary direction. The arrangement plays with tempo changes and synthesizer beauty needles like silver threads through the fabric of the production.  Warren perfectly incorporates spoken word into the piece.

Track #5 features a new quartet made up of the great Kenny Barron on piano, Tamir Shimerling on upright bass and EJ Strickland’s sensitive drums along with Warren’s vibraphone sweetly featured in a more traditional jazz setting.  The tune is another one of her originals and it’s called “Stratford Penthouse.”  Trumpeter Alonzo Demetrius makes a surprise appearance with this new quartet of wonderfulness along with saxophone input. Barron’s bluesy piano chops pull me into the piece.  The blues is such an important part of jazz and I’m happy to hear this more contemporary production embrace these important traditional roots.

I enjoyed her slow, sexy arrangement of the Curtis Mayfield tune, “Move On Up.”

Perhaps Lydia Liebman summed it up best when she wrote in Nikara’s press package, “Warren’s collection of original compositions and eclectic arrangements serves as a heartfelt tribute to the rhythms, sounds and culture of her hometown. Drawing from Brooklyn, New York’s rich Caribbean heritage and icons like Marvin Gaye and Nina Simone, the album weaves together jazz, hip-hop, R&B and house music, creating an immersive sonic landscape rooted in rhythm and groove.”

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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