Making Contact: Max Ribner’s 1st Language

Portland-based flugelhorn and trumpet player Max Ribner makes his solo debut with 1st Language (Self-release, 2021), a colorful tapestry of groove and texture utilizing over 50 collaborators across multiple continents. Ribner’s warm, articulate trumpet sound sits atop some killer rhythm sections interspersed with the sounds of gospel choir, brass band, and a 12 piece string section – all rendered by first-call New York City engineer Ben Kane, whose extensive resume includes D’angelo’s Black Messiah (RCA, 2014), PJ Morton’s Gumbo (Morton Record, 2017) and Chris Dave and the Drumhedz’s eponymous debut release (Blue Note, 2018). 1st Language is a cry for human connection and a labor of much-needed joy and spiritual enrichment. 

This album is largely about community, both in content and creation; its recording and release were crowdfunded without the support of a major label. While secular in message, the music is deeply imbued with a devotional, gospel feeling, particularly on tracks like “1st Language,” “Honey,” “Yes Please,” and “Thank You.” This is thanks in large part to the presence of two architects of the contemporary gospel sound, bassist Sharay Reed and keyboardist/organist Bobby Sparks II, and luminary Portland vocalists Saeeda Wright and Jarrod Lawson. It’s a very singable record, relying on the development of simple thematic material through a diverse sonic palette, which amounts to a well-curated vision and a project whose variety doesn’t detract from its cohesiveness. What glues it together is the patience, diligence, and scholarship of dues paid from years on the road as a working musician and an ethos of uplift and coming together. Max Ribner sat down with PostGenre to discuss his artistic journey, influences on the trumpet and beyond, the emotionality surrounding our current moment, and more.

PostGenre: As a native East Coaster, what drew you to the west coast after your Berklee years?

Max Ribner: When I graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2006, I was flooded with too much technical music in my head and needed to take a breather. So, I moved out west to change my path, learn about who I am, and let the music just run through me. I became active in environmental work with Americorps and then lived on organic farms. I began to look deeper into myself to better understand my emotionality and my connection to the planet and from there embarked upon my journey into songwriting.  This time was a pivotal moment in my life, separating from the modern grind and patiently finding my gifts.

PG: That part of your story was inspiring, that you turned to community activism took the time to get some life experience before this project started to coalesce.

MR: Yeah, I got into the Peace Corps and was going to go to Africa for two years. I ultimately didn’t go because it didn’t feel right at the time. But my new project does have ties to Ghana, which is pretty unique. We filmed a video there for “Not Free,” which touches both on Black resiliency and some time I spent volunteering, bringing music into jails.  That blink of an eye I spent in the American penitentiary system was heavy, sad… it brought up some important questions and thoughts on how slavery has merged into the penitentiary system, especially after watching Ava DuVernay’s 2016 documentary 13th as well.  This ties to the lyric which I feel is a very important question to ask: “how can I be free if you are not free?”

PG: You weren’t in Ghana specifically, but you were involved with some clean water projects over there, correct?

MR: Yes, I worked to raise some funds for the Adzuki Peki community village in Ghana. I want to be able to use my music as a tool for social good instead of just drawing attention to myself. While it’s important in the industry to show yourself, for me that has meant sharing the rawness of who I am. It means saying “hey, I’m hurting today, I’m going through it” or that “the release of this album is bringing out the most intense emotions.” That’s one of the unique things about myself and the music on1st Language. We’re all sharing a synergy and playing beyond the track itself. We are not getting so caught up on linear structures and preconceptions about a song. Even though we had arrangements, each artist really let it come through in their own way. 

PG: Let’s talk about your compositional process. The landscape of genre-bending, bandleader trumpet players is really strong right now – people like Terence Blanchard, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, and Marquis Hill come to mind. There’s also a large number of different artists- more than 50- involved in your project and bringing their own influences. How has your approach to bandleading evolved coming into and organizing this large-scale project?

MR: Well, I love bringing different people together, you know? Feels right. At Berklee I always loved bringing in and working with different singers. Seeing what Marquis and Christian are doing with their solo projects is inspiring as well. I know I can play the horn but I definitely bow down to those guys that grew up with that lineage and dedicated themselves to it. I honor those roots and the ancestry of where all this music came from, especially within Black culture. I think it’s important for the non-POC community to remember where the music came from and how it’s stemmed out of these pretty intense places. 

PG: Yeah, the music industry is still pretty new, a thing of the last 100 years, but the music goes so much further back.

MR:  That’s it…this is a blend of traditional meeting modern. Before colonization, there were songs that connected people, and unfortunately, the pressures of striving for independence in the music industry can lead to a cutthroat mentality… is what it is. I think modern music has lost that depth; lost the story of where it has come from. Understandably we all have to survive and figure out how to market our music and get our name out. But I’m curious how we can blend those two worlds so that we don’t forget where the music came from.

PG: While the record is secular in its message, its vibe and the performances definitely have that gospel feel. There’s a general sense of uplift to the thematic scope of the project. What is your philosophy of spirituality in music?

MR: I find spirituality in everything. I tend to gravitate towards indigenous philosophy and emphasizing humanity’s raw connection to the planet. There’s definitely an immense amount of spirit and spirituality on the record but without any need to label it, if that makes sense. Sometimes, for me, spirituality is just about being able to connect our mind and heart to the energy that’s greater than us that binds us. 

There was one moment we recorded from 1st Language but which ultimately didn’t make it onto the album. 20 of us assembled in the same room and all circled around each other. It got emotional. The concept around this music is more circular, which I guess you could say is more indigenous inspired, where the beginning meets the end. The linear – this is this and that is that-  kind of structure makes us lose sight of how things are interrelated. Look at how our society marginalizes death. We don’t value the importance of honor and grief. 

Right now I am in the process of grieving, letting go, and coming into a new chapter of my life. I’ve been backing trumpet in bands and touring internationally which has been great. But 1st Language is kind of a step forward for me. At the same time though, it’s happening at a time in which people are dying of COVID. We humans need to connect with one another. I think this whole experience with the pandemic is making us come out and realize that eye contact and connection are important. 

We’re facing a pivotal point on this planet where we have to decide in what ways we will change our lives. This might be a whole different conversation but I’ve been looking into different philosophies and one guy, Thomas Hübl talks about how we’re all born into this world that’s full of trauma. And since the world is so traumatic, sometimes when we feel something it’s not even our stuff but instead working out something from generations ago.

Musically, that’s kind of why it’s important for me to not just curl up and say I’m done and give up. As you know, suicide rates are climbing and we’re living in an intense world right now. It’s hard for all of us to process what’s going on. I’m approaching things with the mindset of “alright universe, if this is what I’m going to feel, I want to come out stronger and shine my light.” 

In a sense, the spirituality in this music is about bringing those things forward and each song has a different emotion. “1st Language” encapsulates the whole thing in itself, with these contractions and expansions. When lead singer Saeeda Wright comes in halfway through, the song switches to C minor and goes down this melancholy progression. In my mind, that’s where, in life, we are now; in the world and out of the comfort of our mama’s belly. The idea is that when we hear vibration and sound, even in our mother’s womb if she’s singing a song, we feel it, right? When you’re playing the drums or I’m playing the horn, we feel something. The world is in this immense state of chaos and division.  Leadership has really been lost in a sense and no one knows who to follow.  I hope that sound is going to kind of lead the way. I think artists have a really important role, even as it gets devalued in society. We artists have the unique opportunity to look beyond both the veil and the mirror.

PG: Absolutely, and even though people have been doing their best to navigate this kind of artificial landscape of live-stream concerts and things, we’ve been without a real outlet for so long that there’s all this charged energy and some of that mystique is coming back into things. Part of it is death, too, surrounding the scene. In the drum community, we just lost Ralph Peterson and Milford Graves, for example. More broadly, Chick Corea and so many others have passed recently. It seems that something about those transitions is kind of charging whatever this is all building towards. Things that may have been going stale before all this are beginning to feel new and vital again. 

MR: You’re right, in the music community there’s this kind of wave.  The transitions of these legends who birthed these styles and influenced so many is deep, but we also have kind of a birthright to ask how we leave our own mark. I’m hoping this record will inspire both artists and non-artists… Well, I think everyone is an artist at their core, but not all choose that path. But the idea, like for example with the song “Thank You,” is to give people some inspiration. My cousin Marc, who hasn’t lived an easy life, said it right; the world needs healing. 

PG: What are your next moves as the industry regains its footing? Do you have plans to tour?

MR: A lot of it is patience and seeing what happens. I’m taking it day by day. Ultimately, that answer will come in time. But for now, I’m focusing on healing people through sound, movement, workshops, shows, health and beyond.  It’s also a lot to put out a record without a label. We’ve spent a fair amount of money on this thing, took a lot of risks, and put a lot of energy in the mixing process too. On the mixing side, we were lucky to work with Ben Kane, who has mixed for some big influences of mine including D’angelo, PJ Morton, and Emily King.

PG: How did you make the connection with Ben?

MR: I just hit him up, told him I had something cool going on, and explained the concept around the project. I think the idea aligned with what he’s doing musically, which is pretty cool. I believe Ben was mentored by Russ Elevado, who worked with Roy Hargrove- another big influence of mine. And, of course, there’s Ben’s work with D’Angelo. Hargove’s and D’Angelo’s styles were a big ear opener as the point of where jazz merged into neo-soul. Especially groups like Roy’s RH Factor. I love what Marquis and Christian are doing too. Those are definitely some big influences.

PG: Earlier you mentioned the emotions that swirl around the whole promotional aspect of music and the social media scene. What’s your approach to navigating that side of things while getting your authenticity across?

MR: For me it’s important to be real. I’m taking a risk at times, showing myself.  I think it’s important- especially for those of us in the form of the masculine and men because we have been told by society to suppress our emotions-  to share and express our vulnerability. 

Social media lets us share that side of ourselves but can also lead us to falsely show only our best side. My desire is to show myself in all forms. Maybe this week I’m feeling really joyful and here are all my promos for the album, and then [laughing] the past seven days I’ve just been weeping but receiving a lot of support. 

Social media for me is an opportunity to show the authenticity of who I am as an artist. And hopefully, that will inspire other artists to go create a project that feels right and not just, you know, doing it to be cool. I really value artists that are just kind of like, “this is who I am and this is kind of the chapter I’m in.” You can feel it sometimes when you hear an artist who is making music that is really cool and technical, beautiful even, but still may not connect with you as a listener. And then sometimes you might hear something that’s a little less technical and be like, “whoa, what’s going on?” On Christian Scott [aTunde Adjuah]’s recent live album recorded at the Blue Note, Axiom, all the artists feel like one big brain, and the virus is just about to hit New York City. You can feel this tension. I live for that, even though it’s kind of a riskier route. The music on 1st Language isn’t necessarily the most complicated in the musical realm.  There’s simplicity but complexities within that one string line or the one time that minor chord comes in, and I think that was something that came naturally. I had a lot of stuff that didn’t make the record. Some of that stuff was technically happening but just didn’t fit the mood of 1st Language. 

One last thing I’ll say is that a lot of the support for this project came from people I’ve met along the way, which is pretty cool. It’s community fundraised, so in some sense, we’ve all created it. The community really leaned in and I’m very appreciative. I’ve also put out some good energy into the world along the way, so deep inside I know the universe will reciprocate!  Take care of the art and will take care of you.

1st Language is available now on Bandcamp and streaming platforms. For more on the project and upcoming livestream performances visit Max’s website.