Legendary free-jazz saxophonist Archie Shepp has teamed up with producer Damu the Fudgemunk and underground rapper Raw Poetic for a new album called Ocean Bridges.
The record is an entirely improvisational project that also includes bassist Luke Stewart of the group Irreversible Entanglements, with a sound that’s a unique blend of jazz, funk and hip-hop.
Today, the group has shared a new song called Tulips.
“During the studio session, the spontaneous music that would later become Tulips was the second idea we laid down,” Damu the Fudgemunk said in a statement. “It would set the vibe for much of the recording that followed. Raw Poetic’s lyrics really illustrate the deeper meaning behind the Ocean Bridges album title on this tune.”
The meaning behind that album title involves the bridging of generations in Shepp’s family, with Shepp collaborating with his nephew Jason Moore a.k.a. Raw Poetic.
“I let the spring vibe name the song, and the flower that bloomed was a tulip,” said Moore. “Sometimes you gotta let the music spell it out.”
The group had previously shared Learning to Breathe, another song from the upcoming album.
Among the other musicians involved in the project are Pat Fritz (guitar); Aaron Gause (wurlitzer, synthesizer); Jamal Moore (tenor sax, clarinet, bongos, percussion); and Bashi Rose (drums, percussion).
Ocean Bridges comes out May 22 via Redefinition Records.