Multi-GRAMMY ® award-winning drummer, producer and educator Terri Lynne Carrington and her new ensemble, Social Science, boldly confront a wide spectrum of social justice issues over the course of this ambitious double LP which spans hip-hop, jazz, R&B, electronic music and spoken word.
Adding to the multi-dimensional sound of Waiting Game is an impressive host of guests including rappers Rapsody, Kokayi, Raydar Ellis and Maimouna Youssef (aka Mumu Fresh), trumpeter Nicholas Payton, jazz bass stars Derrick Hodge and bassist Esperanza Spalding. Additionally, Meshell Ndegeocello and actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner contribute compelling spoken-word on tracks.
The Social Science band is built around the friendship and collaboration of Carrington, pianist/keyboardist Aaron Parks (Terence Blanchard, Kurt Rosenwinkel) and guitarist Matthew Stevens (Christian Scott, Esperanza Spalding), along with multi-instrumentalist Morgan Guerin, vocalist Debo Ray, and MC/DJ Kassa Overall.
Disc one, and Face A of Disc Two feature hip-hop, jazz, electronic vocal and spoken word songs which each focus on a specific social issue. Face B of Disc 2 offers an extraordinary improvised suite, on which Esperanza Spalding joins the Social Science core-band of Carrington, Parks and Stevens along with a string and wind ensemble for an adventurous instrumental jazz excursion musing on the idea of personal and musical freedom.
AfroPunk posted an excellent preview of the project here: https://afropunk.com/2019/10/terri-lyne-carrington-social-science-kassa-overall-trapped-in-the-american-dream
This vinyl pressing is a very limited edition of a project that is expected to make waves internationally and will surely be a collector's item.
The award-winning Motéma label, specializing in culturally trenchant jazz, world and soul, has been praised by All About Jazz as “The most important label to plant its flag in the 21st Century.” Respected internationally as an ‘art-first’ tastemaker, Motéma’s diverse catalog spans genres, cultures, and generations and has received GRAMMY ® recognition for over twenty albums in jazz, Latin-jazz, reggae and R&B. Founded by label president and recording artist Jana Herzen, Motéma operates in New York City out of Harlem’s burgeoning cultural scene, where the label keeps a close eye on current musical trends. It was Motéma that first brought soul/jazz superstar Gregory Porter to international acclaim with his GRAMMY® nominated first albums, Water and Be Good and his hit song 1960 What?. The label also is also noted for launching international careers for the young piano star Joey Alexander, modern soul singer Deva Mahal and Cuban music innovator Pedrito Martinez among others. Also in the label’s catalog are recordings by established jazz icons such as Randy Weston, Geri Allen, David Murray, Monty Alexander and Charnett Moffett alongside releases by exciting leaders in contemporary jazz innovation including Donny McCaslin, Mark Guiliana, Ben Wendel, Jaimeo Brown’s Transcendence.