THE GRIOTS SPEAK

Daniel Carter, saxophones, flute, clarinet, trumpet, piano

Charlie Apicella, madal drum, Tibetan singing bowls, guitar

William Parker, bass, doson ngoni, double reed: gralla, gembiri, pocket trumpet 

Juma Sultan, congas, shakers, percussion 

with Iron City:

Brad Whiteley, organ

Austin Walker, drums

ENTER A NEW WORLD WITH US…

The Griots Speak: Destiny Calling and Call To Action/ Call To Prayer forges new ground, mixing NYC organ grooves with free improvisation. The Griots are legends of the 1960s NYC loft jazz scene and Charlie Apicella brings his lean, driving, hard bop guitar to the band while reinventing himself with his debut as a percussionist.

Charlie says, “these records aren’t a departure from my previous, they just go further into new waters. Playing in The Griots Speak gives me a chance to work on composition ideas I learned from Yusef Lateef and Pat Martino. As a listener, I hear a captivating mix of early Santana and Bitches Brew; meditative, and invoking voices from the past. We all share common ancestors.”

His compositions are inspired by his first teacher, Yusef Lateef, and the Himalayan folk drum Charlie received from him. On how he came to work with these three living legends, Charlie recalls “Juma has been a beacon since the moment I heard music for the first time. I have a continued love for Jimi Hendrix‘s work at Woodstock and beyond, and my ears and heart always were centered on Juma‘s sound.”

The roots of the Griots Speak reach to the dawn of the improvised music community which sprang to life in 1960s New York City.  

Trail-blazing percussionist Juma Sultan (Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock, Rainbow Bridge, etc.) formed the quartet to help celebrate the life and work of Studio We founder James DuBois, patriarch of the Loft scene.  The band's music is poetry in motion – – simultaneously fluid, extroverted, light, confrontational, meditative, and comforting.

The Griots Speak are exploring both directions at once.  Hard bop rhythm section Iron City is driving headlong into the future while the elder masters are drawing from a lifetime of experience in communication with the ancestors. The music is pan-ancestral, pan-African, and is sounding a voice for the future.

In today’s world the voices of our ancestors are as clear as ever – – if you know where to listen. The Griots Speak strive to amplify that voice.