Artist(s)

Timing is everything, and as Donald Edwards continues to make recordings, we are able to hear the clarity of his development as a composer and artist. The Color Of US Suite throws the door open to the levers of power and opportunity in rebellion against systems engaging in fundamentally inimical propositions against the humanity of Black people. Art is not created in a vacuum, it represents the culmination of the total breath of one’s life experiences represented through a creative medium. It is a direct reflection of the tenor of the times in which it is created. So where talent meets preparation and discipline, at the cross roads these attributes come together for the best expression of artistic genius. Learning and knowing continues to be a hallmark of exceptional talent - the more you know, the more you can do. This recording carries with it the total range in expressions of the freedom concept, the obsession with hope through the infatuation of dreams - the disappointment, anger, and love for the framing of our evolving paradigm from within the prism of democracy. Donald captures those gradations of condition in a high-minded representation of passion, delivered with high-skilled precision, and soulful highs that are as exciting to the gutbucket enthusiast as it is intriguing for the high-brow aficionado.

Composer(s)

Press

The commitment of the musicians is colossal; guitarist Gilmore is in his element, and saxophonist Burton sometimes evokes the memory of John Coltrane, in his freedom-loving records. Drummer Edwards himself reveals that in 1994 he won the Louisiana Arts Ambassador's Award for a reason.
Jazzism, 15-10-2021