The Autumn 2010 issue of Burning Ambulance, released earlier this week, features a cover story on AUM Fidelity recording artist Darius Jones and a 12-page collection of written tributes to the late Bill Dixon.
Phil Freeman’s profile of Jones takes an in-depth look at the 32 year-old alto saxophonist/composer’s musical career that serves as a 15-page answer to the question: is Darius Jones the future of free jazz?
Jones comments freely and honestly when asked open-ended questions about his collaborators, the influence and legacy of other saxophone players, why he plays alto exclusively and the difficulties of being a younger musician on the scene, among other topics.
He also speaks intelligently about his own music, offering insights into his motivation, how he prefers to interact with other horn players, how music affects him physically and the lasting impact of hearing all manner of vocal styles (preaching and speaking in tongues as well as singing) growing up in a religious family living in rural Virginia.
“Darius Jones is the future of free jazz because he’s alive right now, making music right now, and he is making it new,” Freeman concludes. “There are plenty of free jazz records from the last ten years that could be played back-to-back with albums from the Sixties, and even an informed listener would be hard-pressed to ID the new ones blindfolded. Darius Jones does not make that kind of music.”
He adds, “He’s a fluid player who adapts to the context in which he finds himself, but through his choice of a single instrument and the way he plays, Darius Jones is always uniquely and recognizably his own man. He is aware of history (the history of his instrument, the history of his culture), even enraptured by it, willing to serve it, but not beholden to it. He wants to bridge the generations, but he’s ready to move forward. More than ready; he’s doing it, right now.”
Also in this issue is a collection of remembrances of Bill Dixon from musicians who knew him, accompanied by photos from the recent memorial service in New York. The list of those sharing anecdotes and thoughts on Dixon’s music and legacy includes Taylor Ho Bynum, Barry Guy, Stephen Haynes, Stephen Horenstein, Franz Koglmann, Rob Mazurek, Joe McPhee, William Parker, Warren Smith and Keith G. Thompson.
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