{"id":7035,"date":"2023-10-26T11:21:44","date_gmt":"2023-10-26T16:21:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?p=7035"},"modified":"2023-10-26T11:40:10","modified_gmt":"2023-10-26T16:40:10","slug":"resilient-hope-caroline-davis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/resilient-hope-caroline-davis\/","title":{"rendered":"Resilient Hope: A Conversation with Caroline Davis on ‘Alula: Captivity’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The alula, sometimes called the bastard wing, is a small but important bone on a bird\u2019s wing that plays an essential role in flight. It is a fitting name for Caroline Davis\u2019 electro-acoustic outings as her use of samples lifts the ensemble from more traditional moorings. But what happens when these appendages are fractured? How does one\u2019s spirit continue to soar when their circumstances confine them to a small cage? These are the weighty questions tackled on Davis\u2019 Alula: Captivity<\/em> (Ropeadope, 2023) and its dialogue on the modern prison industrial complex. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is easy for a cynic to view Alula: Captivity<\/em> as just a clinical exploration by Davis in the intersection of psychology and music. After all, the saxophonist has a doctoral degree in music cognition. But it\u2019s critical to note the personal emotional connections she ties into these subjects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her first release as a leader, Heart Tonic<\/em> (Sunnyside, 2018) addressed general concepts of the mental toll of relocation as much as her closely held concerns about her father\u2019s heart ailment. Portals Vol. 1: Mourning <\/em> (Sunnyside, 2021) addresses general issues of loss, but is intimately tied to her own emotions upon her father’s death. One cannot fully appreciate Davis\u2019 work in addressing psychological matters through music without exploring her personal connection to the subject matter. Alula: Captivity<\/em> is no different in these regards as it reflects both the impact incarceration of a family member had on her life and the relationships she has formed with current and former inmates over the years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Davis\u2019 passion for the subject matter is evident across the album\u2019s tracks. Often, her alto sounds like dulcet bird calls. Sometimes her tone sings clearly through, perhaps evoking hope for a brighter future. At some moments, as in \u201cand yet it moves\u201d, the leader even provides lines reminiscent of Charlie Parker – “Bird” – who himself had to face captivity due to substance abuse problems. But at other moments on the record, her calls are met with electronic and percussive fury, signifying the bird\u2019s recognition that its clipped wings and caged surroundings keep it from soaring. The captured monologues by Sandra Bland, Keith Lamar, and Jalil Muntaquim, among others make it clear the bird\u2019s confinement is as much from steel bars as it is the composite of racial and economic inequality, an overly aggressive police state, an deemphasis on forgiveness, mental health issues, and mistaken choices. Thus,\u00a0Alula: Captivity<\/em>\u00a0thrives largely due to its ability to use the unique elements from its confluence of jazz, electronic, and contemporary classical to underscore critical social issues often ignored by mainstream society.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PostGenre: Alula: Captivity <\/em>is your second album with a band of that name. The first Alula<\/em> was a trio with Matt Mitchell and Gregory Saunier. This second features an entirely different group of musicians – you with Val Jeanty, Chris Tordini, and Tyshawn Sorey. What is the connection between the two recordings?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Caroline Davis: We recorded the first Alula<\/em> in 2019 and had several dates scheduled before the pandemic hit. Both recordings share an electronic component. There’s always an electric processing of sound through synthesis or with my saxophone in the form of pedals. Or, sometimes, I use the Organelle [ed. a music computer], which runs on pure data. In live shows, I also play a little synthesizer. Though, of course, on [Alula: Captivity<\/em>], Val Jeanty is triggering all of the samples. The band name Alula comes from a group of bones and feathers on most birds. They help birds take off, glide in the sky, and land. I was trying to utilize that concept to have electronics and processing be a part of the sound of this band. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n