Barracoon JD Allen

• 1 Barracoon 04:11
• 2 G sus 07:01
• 3 The Goldilocks Zone 03:18
• 4 The Immortal (H. Lacks) 06:27
• 5 13 06:57
• 6 Beyond the Goldilocks Zone 04:52
• 7 Communion 08:18
• 8 EYE Scream 06:25
• 9 Ursa Major 06:07
• 10 When You Wish Upon a Star 05:51
• Total Runtime 59:27

Info for Barracoon

JD Allen’s eighth recording for Savant Records finds the wildly inventive saxophonist returning to the sax-bass-drums format playing with his usual sizzling intensity and unveiling new works which challenge preconceptions while engaging the listeners rather than alienating them.

His colleagues, Ian Kenselaar and Nic Cacioppo are with him every step of the way, reveling in the exploratory compositions of their leader and rising to the challenges they bring.

JD Allen was hailed by New York Times jazz critic Ben Ratliff as, “a tenor saxophonist with an enigmatic, elegant and hard-driving style,” He has be the winner of Downbeat, JazzTimes & NPR polls in categories including NPR’s Best Jazz of the Year, Tenor Saxophonist of the Year, Composer of the Year and Rising Star of the Year.

Following up on 2016’s ground-breaking album, AMERICANA, BARRACOON (a lean-to or barracks to confine slaves) reflects Allen’s awareness of the 400th anniversary of the first arrival of unwilling slaves in what was to become the United States.

JD Allen, saxophone
Ian Kenselaar, double bass
Nic Cacioppo, drums

JD Allen
Hailed by the New York Times as "a tenor saxophonist with an enigmatic, elegant and hard-driving style," J.D. Allen is one of the most thoughtful jazz saxophonists on the scene today.

The Detroit natives apprenticeship has largely been in New York, where he has performed, recorded, and toured with legends Lester Bowie, George Cables, Betty Carter,Louis Hayes , Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette, Frank Foster Big Band, Winard Harper, Butch Morris, David Murray, Wallace Roney, and contemporaries Cindy Blackman, Orrin Evans, Marcus Gilmore, Russell Gunn, and Me'shell N'degeocello, Dave Douglas among others.

J.D.'s debut album, In Search Of... (red records), won him the Best New Artist award in Italy in 1999, and had reviewers praising him for his original compositions and bold playing. That same year J.D. began touring and recording with drummer Cindy Blackman's Quartet, where he remains a member.

His second release, Pharoah's Children (Criss Cross), won him accolades for its thoughtfulness, maturity, and adventurousness. One of Jazziz Magazine's Critics Pics Top 10 Albums of the Year, the album was praised in the U.S. and Europe, along with leading musicians, such as Michael Brecker and Jeff "Tain" Watts.

Since making a strong impression in his early years in New York at venues like Smalls, Village Gate, and Visiones, and serving an invaluable tenure with Betty Carter, J.D. has come a long way, now fully possessed of his own sound. J.D. has appeared on NPR's Jazz Perspectives, WNYC's Soundcheck, WKCR's Musician's Show and is a member of the Romare Bearden Homecoming Jazz All-Star Band.

This album contains no booklet.