{"id":11439,"date":"2025-10-16T10:00:34","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T15:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?p=11439"},"modified":"2025-10-18T17:18:41","modified_gmt":"2025-10-18T22:18:41","slug":"review-free-country-liberty-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/review-free-country-liberty-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Phil Haynes &amp; Free Country\u2019s \u2018Liberty Now!\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Drummer\/composer Phil Haynes constantly leaves listeners anticipating what he will do next. In the past three years alone, he has presented No Fast Food &#8211; his trio with Dave Leibman and Drew Gress, Transitions &#8211; a duet album with Ben Monder, the romantic piano trio called Daydream, the complete American recordings of <em>Four Horns &amp; What?<\/em>, the fusion guitar album- <em>Return to Electric<\/em> (Corner Store, 2024), and now his socially-conscious jazz string band, Free Country and its latest release, <em>Liberty Now! <\/em>(Corner Store, 2025) which reunites Haynes, cellist and lead vocalist Hank Roberts, guitarist Jim Yanda, and bassist Drew Gress. While the four have collaborated together for over thirty years, the album marks their first quartet outing in over a decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"lyte-wrapper fourthree\" style=\"width:420px;max-width:100%;margin:5px;\"><div class=\"lyMe\" id=\"WYL_qSULYwSBv1s\"><div id=\"lyte_qSULYwSBv1s\" data-src=\"\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/qSULYwSBv1s\/hqdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/qSULYwSBv1s\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/qSULYwSBv1s\/0.jpg?resize=420%2C295&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"YouTube video thumbnail\" width=\"420\" height=\"295\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:420px;margin:5px;\"><\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Liberty Now! <\/em>is a double album that reflects the band\u2019s original intent of culling songs from their American Trilogy [<em>Free Country <\/em>(Premonition, 2000), <em>The Way the West Was Won <\/em>(Corner Store, 2002), and <em>\u201860\/\u201969 My Favorite Things<\/em> (Corner Store, 2018)] with new, original material. Impacted by the 2024 Presidential Election and the passing of revered trumpeter and long-time collaborator Herb Robertson, these musicians were dealing with a myriad of emotions when they entered the studio. Ironically, the new material has only a slightly political bent, and is not as hard-hitting as the prior compilation of songs that trace the history of America. But without directly intending to make a protest album, the group did indeed produce one even if it\u2019s not as in-your-face as Max Roach\u2019s iconic <em>We Insist! Freedom Now Suite<\/em> (Candid, 1960). Mixing older, rebellious pieces with anewer, less political material takes the edge off, making it far less preachy. It\u2019s the reverse of what one might have predicted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"120\" style=\"position: relative; display: block; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/v=2\/track=3491360266\/album=1377331749\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Free Country is best described as an Americana band with tendencies that come from the lineage of jazz. Roberts, Gress, and Yanda play rootsy in Yanda\u2019s \u201cSituation Ethnics\u201d but with far more swing than most musicians on a stereotypical roots record. If one must ascribe a label, perhaps the promotional descriptor \u201cjazz-grass\u201d is most succinct. The guitarist\u2019s \u201cPast Time\u201d is melodically sweet, with impressive solos from Gress and Roberts. Haynes\u2019s \u201cStrands of Liberty\u201d is more tense and immediate, while Roberts\u2019s \u201cHiggens\u201d is downright foreboding with an intriguing harmonic blend of cello, bowed bass, and guitar that owes to Western classical music. Gress\u2019s \u201cDiaphana\u201d builds quietly into melodic, delicate strains, punctuated by Haynes\u2019s brushwork and cymbals and Gress\u2019s pizzicato turn. The leader\u2019s \u201cCorner Store Strut\u201d reveals the confident swagger suggested by the title. The first vocal on Disc One has Roberts in the lead with his bandmates chipping in on Haynes\u2019s \u201cJoy,\u201d beautiful in its own way though edgy, not nearly anthemic or hymn-like. Yanda\u2019s \u201cNext of Kin\u201d is an angular piece bristling with energy and vigorous interplay. Roberts\u2019s \u201cThe Wire\u201d is aggressive and almost painfully discordant, contrasting sharply with Yanda\u2019s pieces, such as \u201cHome Road.\u201d &nbsp; Roberts sings Haynes\u2019s waltz \u201cDawn on the Gladys Marie,\u201d a tune that came over from his band, No Fast Food. The song doesn\u2019t necessarily fit with the instrumental material on Disc One of the album, but shares a similar timbre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"120\" style=\"position: relative; display: block; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/v=2\/track=641508252\/album=1377331749\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Disc Two is a compilation, leading off with the overture of sorts, \u201cThe Way the West Was Won.\u201d The group begin to gather protest momentum with their instrumental rendition of The Beatles\u2019 \u201cRevolution,\u201d the lament for the fallen soldier in \u201cJohnny Guitar,\u201d and the military-like funeral drumming on \u201cJoshua Fought the Battle of Jericho.\u201d&nbsp; \u201cSimple Gifts\u201d is a lengthy, swinging instrumental and vocal piece, with crafty kit work from Haynes and riveting string interplay. From that point onward, Free Country digs into a serious protest sequence that includes the Civil Rights anthem \u201cRespect\u201d and a highly inventive stand out arrangement of Marvin Gaye\u2019s\u2019 \u201cWhat\u2019s Going On.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"120\" style=\"position: relative; display: block; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/v=2\/track=1336962926\/album=1377331749\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All four in the quartet sing on \u201cTo Ancreon in Heaven,\u201d to emphasize the drinking song origins of the American national anthem. The song is then rendered instrumentally in an almost edgy, avant-garde and Hendrix-like manner in \u201cThe Defense of Fort McHenry.\u201d The quartet treats \u201cAmerica the Beautiful\u201d in a disjointed, dirge-like manner with interruptive percussion and somber tones, especially from Roberts and Gress. By contrast, they deliver Aaron Copland\u2019s \u201cFanfare for the Common Man\u201d with bright aplomb. As most know, the closer,&nbsp; \u201cWhat a Wonderful World\u201d is not a protest song in the traditional sense. But one must consider that Louis Armstrong recorded the most well-known version during the height of the Civil Rights and Vietnam War crises in the late &#8217;60s. On Free Country\u2019s version, Roberts delivers a highly emotive recitation that reaches the same essence of Armstrong\u2019s interpretation. The album as a whole, especially on this compilation portion, captures the attitude of Armstrong\u2019s response to the context surrounding his version beautifully. When asked about the song, Armstrong replied, &#8220;Seems to me, it ain&#8217;t the world that&#8217;s so bad but what we&#8217;re doin&#8217; to it. And all I&#8217;m saying is, see, what a wonderful world it would be if only we&#8217;d give it a chance. Love, baby, love. That&#8217;s the secret, yeah.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>\u2018Liberty Now!\u2019<\/em><\/strong> <strong><em>will be available on October 17, 2025 from Corner Store Jazz. It can be p<a href=\"https:\/\/philhaynesmusic.bandcamp.com\/album\/liberty-now\">urchased on Bandcamp <\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Drummer\/composer Phil Haynes constantly leaves listeners anticipating what he will do next. In the past three years alone, he has presented No Fast Food &#8211; his trio with Dave Leibman and Drew Gress, Transitions &#8211; a duet album with Ben Monder, the romantic piano trio called Daydream, the complete American recordings of Four Horns &amp; [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":11442,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"iawp_total_views":45,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/img_2034.jpg?fit=1452%2C968&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/peRkRR-2Yv","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10053,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/review-michel-petruccianis-jazz-club-montmartre-cph-1988\/","url_meta":{"origin":11439,"position":0},"title":"Review: Michel Petrucciani\u2019s \u2018Jazz Club Montmartre &#8211; CPH 1988\u2019","author":"John Chacona","date":"January 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Michel Petrucciani exploded onto the North American consciousness in 1982 when he persuaded Charles Lloyd to come out of a self-imposed retirement. 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Revolutions in composition, improvisation, rhythm, and instrumentation each producing a distinctly novel area of music. While this perspective has some truth to it, the dividing lines between\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Interviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Interviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/interviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/processed-BFC78565-C9E7-4BCF-BD9E-01BA8380A57C.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/processed-BFC78565-C9E7-4BCF-BD9E-01BA8380A57C.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/processed-BFC78565-C9E7-4BCF-BD9E-01BA8380A57C.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/processed-BFC78565-C9E7-4BCF-BD9E-01BA8380A57C.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2796,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/newport-jazz-part-xiii\/","url_meta":{"origin":11439,"position":2},"title":"A History of the Newport Jazz Festival &#8211; Chapter XIII: Echoes of the Past, 2004","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"June 21, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"An intense and unceasing downpour left a twenty-eight-year-old George Wein with the difficult question of whether to abruptly cancel his new jazz festival. 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