RePaved Jalen Baker

• 1 Antioch (The Beginning) 05:49
• 2 John Henry 02:05
• 3 Dowling/Emancipation 05:25
• 4 Freedman 07:27
• 5 City On The Water 08:58
• 6 Kashmere 05:29
• 7 Bemsha Blues 06:50
• 8 Smile 04:08
• Total Runtime 46:11

Info for RePaved

While some people may be aware of their genealogies, vibraphonist and composer Jalen Baker can trace his family history not only to a region, tradition, or person, but with great detail, back four generations, to the same neighborhood: Houston, Texas's 3rd Ward. The area stands alongside its fellow 4th and 5th Wards as three of Houston's historic Black neighborhoods that are now on the precipice of historical and cultural erasure in the face of gentrification. As the vibrant legacy of these culturally rich neighborhoods started to border on being lost, Baker began diving deeply into research to pen the stories of generations of Black Americans onto paper and into music. Standing with a jazz quintet made of predominantly fellow Houstonians coupled with evocative string quartet writing, Baker presents his third album as a leader, RePaved, an anthemic eight-part suite that proclaims the stories of these three wards.

Currently I am deeply drawn to the vibrant history of Houston’s 3rd, 4th and 5th Wards and their role in the city’s social and cultural development. Key figures such as Jack Yates and Barbra Jordan are from these areas and have contributed greatly to the advancement of Black residents in Houston. These areas are undergoing rapid gentrification and as a 4th generation resident of 3rd ward I feel a great deal of responsibility to document their history through music and art. Jazz, with its improvisatory nature, is a powerful medium for storytelling. The freedom to interpret written music through the use of improvisation allows me to add an additional layer of personality and emotion into each piece. Artists such as Wynton Marsalis and Duke Ellington with their musical suites “Black Codes From The Underground” and “Black, Brown and Beige” have inspired me to write music that dives into the history of marginalized groups and how they have helped shape the world today. My work aims not only to inform listeners of the history of something but also to inspire a sense of positive action and willingness to preserve the history that has shaped us today. Through my art I hope to inspire and challenge listeners to be agents of change and perseverance.

Jalen Baker, vibraphone
Gabriel Godoy, bass
Gavin Moolchan, drums
Paul Cornish, piano
Alexandria DeWalt, flute
Tia Allen, viola
Reenat Pinchas, cello
Yoojin Park, violin
Chiara Jamila, violin

Jalen Baker
born in Washington DC and raised in Houston, TX, is a vibraphonist, percussionist, educator, and composer whose early training involved both classical and jazz. He decided rather early on to focus on jazz and in May 2017, Jalen received his BA in Jazz Studies from Columbia College Chicago. While matriculating at Columbia College Jalen studied with percussionist Jarrett Hicks. He distinguished himself as a jazz vibraphonist and received several accolades including outstanding soloist at both the Notre Dame and Elmhurst Jazz Festivals and was one of two students chosen to represent Columbia at the Arcevia Jazz Festival in Arcevia Italy. While in Chicago Jalen was also an active musician playing in various venues around town with the Jarrard Harris Quartet, The Dod Kalm Quartet, Human Bloom and his own group Musiki Tano. He was also chosen to be a member of the Chicago Next Gen Allstars by the Chicago Jazz institute.

Jalen was accepted as a Graduate Assistant in the Jazz Performance program at Florida State University and May 2019 received his MM in Jazz Studies. During his tenure at Florida State Jalen continued to distinguish himself as a performer and was chosen as a Ravinia Jazz Fellow in 2018. He has been an active performer with the Leon Anderson Quartet, The Ulysses Owens Trio and The Ulysses Owens Quartet as well as leading his own band Musiki Tano in venues in and around Georgia and Northern Florida. Jalen was also recently the featured guest with the Savannah Jazz Orchestra.

Jalen continues to compose and perform. His unique blend of original modern jazz compositions and jazz standards make for exciting performances. His classical music background also makes him an educator easily relatable to students across genres of music.

This album contains no booklet.