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Garrett Saracho w/ Adrian Young and Ali Shaheed Muhammad – Jazz is Dead #15 [ORANGE VINYL] – New LP
Jazz is Dead Records

Garrett Saracho w/ Adrian Young and Ali Shaheed Muhammad – Jazz is Dead #15 [ORANGE VINYL] – New LP

$ 34.00 $ 0.00

While they are best known for working alongside some of the most recognizable names in jazz, Jazz Is Dead now invites you to meet an innovator that has largely gone unheard of, until now. In the early 1970s, Garrett Saracho was a recording artist signed to the legendary Impulse Records, who came up in Los Angeles’ fertile underground jazz community. Due to a tragic combination of label mismanagement and geopolitical intervention, his sole record, 1973’s En Medio, fell largely under the radar of even the most astute collectors and fanatics. After spending the following decades in obscurity working in the film industry and touring with his cousins in the rock band Redbone, Saracho stepped into the Linear Labs studio with Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad to craft an intoxicating and kinetic rush of Latin Soul, Funk, and Psychedelic Jazz. While you may not know his name, your ears will soon know the genius of Garrett Saracho.



Album opener “Sabor Del Ritmo” (Taste of Rhythm) is immediately transportive, as flutes swirl and envelop you, placing you at the center of Saracho’s meditative piano. Restrained but upbeat, it’s a wonderful showcase of the different directions the rest of the arrangements go in. “Altitude” sounds as if it were plucked from a coveted library music release, with haunting strings and a tense climbing piano melody that fits perfectly as a chase scene soundtrack. Keeping in step with similar cinematic flourishes is “White Buffalo”, with a descending bass line that takes you into a villain’s subterranean lair.

On “Trucha”, the percussion speeds up and slows down, remaining unpredictable and elusive. As the horn section pours in with solos, the beat slows down one last time to give way to Saracho’s impressionistic keys. Ballad “The Gardens”' is a gorgeous slowed-down piece of Latin Soul, reminiscent of Saracho’s early mentor Cal Tjader, with Saracho’s piano driving the emotional course. “’73” slinks in with the same vigor as Saracho’s recordings from that same year, and much like Saracho, it remains elusive, with a creeping bass line that hides behind paranoia-drenched synthesizers and anxious vibes. The triumphant penultimate track “El Cambio Es Necesario” (Change Is Necessary) features shifting rhythms and styles, an apt metaphor for Saracho’s own path as an artist.

In an album filled with rhythmic and stylistic sleights of hand, none may be as memorable as the guitar, quietly strumming along throughout the piece, suddenly taking over on the last two notes. Listening to the studio chatter of closing track “Calo” further emphasizes the cohesion and trust that each musician placed in each other throughout the entire recording session, and especially on this track. Driven by the interplay between drums and piano, each finishing the other’s sentences as undulating flutes and horns swoop in, it’s an excellent closing statement in making the case for Saracho’s status as a Jazz great.

After spending nearly fifty years away from the music industry, Garrett Saracho makes his return on Jazz Is Dead with a collection of shapeshifting tunes that hop from one style or tempo to another with shocking ease. Blending together Latin Soul and Psychedelic Rock influences alongside his enduring love for jazz, JID015 is a tribute to the enduring ties and cultural dialogues between genres, and to the perseverance of a musician who once stood on the precipice of stardom, now receiving his long overdue acclaim.

As the opening track to JID015, “Sabor Del Ritmo”, translating to “taste of rhythm”, gives listeners an accurate idea of what the album has to offer. Leading in with spiritual flutes and dissonant piano blanketed by cymbals, the mood shortly switches from introspective to outgoing, shifting towards a Latin Jazz feel. As the horns and percussion follow one another like partners locked in a dance, the piano wanders, finding unexpected pockets and populating them with touches of personality, playing against expectations. As an album opener, “Sabor Del Ritmo” introduces listeners to Saracho’s amorphous playing style, constantly rewriting and breaking his own rules.

As the name suggests, “Altitude” sounds like it only goes higher and higher. The latest single from Garrett Saracho’s forthcoming album on Jazz Is Dead, the track captures the adrenaline rush of a high-speed chase, not at all uncommon to those found in countless B- movies or cult anime Cowboy Bebop. Opening with bongos that seem intent on chasing him down, Saracho’s piano continues to ascend. In the second half, after introducing guitar and vibes, a soaring string section is introduced, raising the tension exponentially as the vibes and guitar encircle the keys. Taut and explosive, “Altitude” captures the cinematic glory of Lalo Schifrin and Cal Tjader’s iconic film scores transporting you to the center of the action.

In its first moments, the ballad “The Gardens”, taken from Garrett Saracho’s forthcoming entry on Jazz Is Dead, requires one to slow dance, to feel the trumpets and congas brush against each other, swaying in time with the scrape of the guiro. Opening with lush keys that float alongside the beat, the tune is mellow without ever feeling narcoleptic, and feels spacious enough to fill a concert hall or a small patio. At the midway point, the tempo changes, and the piano springs to life. Flutes begin to sprout, and a soulful saxophone solo greets listeners in the final minutes. A six-minute odyssey, “The Gardens” blossoms in your ears from a short affair into something deeper, leaving you spellbound in the process. 


released November 18, 2022

All music composed by Garrett Sarracho, Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad unless otherwise noted; produced, recorded and mixed by Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad at Linear Labs Studios, Los Angeles, CA. Mastered by Dave Cooley for Elysian Masters. Executive Produced by Andrew Lojero. Associate Produced by Adam Block. All songs published by Adrian Younge, Linear Labs Crew (GMR) & Ali Shaheed Muhammad Cool Abdul Publishing (GMR). Graphic Design by Julian Montague Photography by The Artform Studio.

1) Sabor del Ritmo
a. Musicians:
i. Garrett Sarracho: Grand Piano
ii. Adrian Younge: Electric bass guitar, Electric guitars, Acoustic guitar, Marimba, Vibraphone, Alto saxophone
iii. Mekala Session: Drums
iv. Nicholas Baker: Percussion
v. Scott Mayo: Flute
vi. Phillip Wack: Alto saxophone
vii. Jaman Laws: Tenor saxophone
viii. David Urquidi: Baritone saxophone
ix. Jacob Scesney: Baritone saxophone
x. Emile Martinez: Trumpet
xi. Tatiana Tate: Trumpet
xii. Lasim Richards: Trombone

2) Altitude
a. Musicians:
i. Garrett Sarracho: Grand Piano
ii. Adrian Younge: Electric bass guitar, Electric guitars, Marimba
iii. Mekala Session: Drums
iv. Nicholas Baker: Percussion
v. Strings & Horns arranged by Adrian Younge, Performed by Linear Labs Orchestra

3) White Buffalo
a. Musicians:
i. Garrett Sarracho: Grand Piano
ii. Adrian Younge: Electric bass guitar, Electric guitar, Acoustic guitar, Vibraphone
iii. Mekala Session: Drums
iv. Nicholas Baker: Percussion
v. Strings & Horns arranged by Adrian Younge, Performed by Linear Labs Orchestra

4) Trucha
a. Musicians:
i. Garrett Sarracho: Grand Piano
ii. Adrian Younge: Electric guitars, Marimba,
iii. Ali Shaheed Muhammad: Electric bass guitar
iv. Mekala Session: Drums, Additional percussion
v. Nicholas Baker: Lead Percussion
vi. Scott Mayo: Flute
vii. Phillip Wack: Alto Sax
viii. Jaman Laws: Tenor Sax
ix. David Urquidi: Baritone Sax
x. Jacob Scesney: Baritone Sax
xi. Emile Martinez: Trumpet
xii. Tatiana Tate: Trumpet

5) The Gardens
a. Musicians:
i. Garrett Sarracho: Grand Piano, Marimba
ii. Adrian Younge: Electric bass guitar, Electric guitar, Marimba, Vibraphone
iii. Mekala Session: Drums
iv. Nicholas Baker: Percussion
v. Scott Mayo: Flute
vi. Phillip Wack: Alto saxophone
vii. Jaman Laws: Tenor saxophone
viii. David Urquidi: Baritone saxophone
ix. Jacob Scesney: Baritone saxophone
x. Emile Martinez: Trumpet
xi. Tatiana Tate: Trumpet
xii. Lasim Richards: Trombone

6) 73
a. Musicians:
i. Garrett Sarracho: Grand Piano
ii. Adrian Younge: Electric bass guitar, Electric guitar, Vibraphone, Electric Sitar
iii. Ali Shaheed Muhammad: Monophonic synthesizer
iv. Mekala Session: Drums, Additional Percussion
v. Nicholas Baker: Lead Percussion

7) El Cambio Es Necesario
a. Musicians:
i. Garrett Sarracho: Grand Piano
ii. Adrian Younge: Electric guitar, Marimba, Acoustic guitar, Electric sitar, Additional Percussion
iii. Ali Shaheed Muhammad: Bass
iv. Mekala Session: Drums
v. Nicholas Baker: Percussion
vi. Scott Mayo: Flute
vii. Phillip Wack: Alto saxophone
viii. Jaman Laws: Tenor saxophone
ix. David Urquidi: Baritone saxophone
x. Jacob Scesney: Baritone saxophone
xi. Emile Martinez: Trumpet
xii. Tatiana Tate: Trumpet
xiii. Lasim Richards: Trombone

8) Caló
a. Musicians:
i. Garrett Sarracho: Grand Piano, Marimba
ii. Adrian Younge: Electric guitar, Vibraphone
iii. Ali Shaheed Muhammad: Bass
iv. Mekala Session: Drums
v. Nicholas Baker: Percussion
vi. Scott Mayo: Flute
vii. Phillip Wack: Alto saxophone
viii. Jaman Laws: Tenor saxophone
ix. David Urquidi: Baritone saxophone
x. Jacob Scesney: Baritone saxophone
xi. Emile Martinez: Trumpet
xii. Tatiana Tate: Trumpet
xiii. Lasim Richards: Trombone


 

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