Jacques Schwarz-Bart
Saxophonist, composer Jacques Schwarz- Bart blends cultural rhythms and ritual in ‘The Harlem Suite’
“The Harlem Suite” is the
latest album (released March 31 on the Ropeadope label) from Jacques
Schwarz-Bart, Berklee professor, saxophonist and composer. Based in
Manhattan, in Boston to teach, and hailing from Guadeloupe and France,
Schwarz-Bart’s music has both originality and deeply historical
narratives. He comes by it honestly: His mother Simone Schwarz-Bart is
among the 20th century’s great Caribbean and feminist writers; his
father Andre was the author of a vital novel about the Holocaust.
Andre’s parents were deported and murdered in Auschwitz. You don’t hear
nostalgia or sadness in Jacques Schwarz-Bart’s compositions, which adds
to their greatness. Instead, he creates music that encapsulates the
resilience and complexity of the Black experience in the Caribbean and
the U.S. The Banner caught up with Schwarz-Bart from his home in NYC.
Tell us about the new album. You composed seven of the songs; three are jazz standards that you arranged.
The
album reflects the variety of Black music that I have had the honor of
playing next to some great musicians: Roy Hargrove, D’Angelo, Erykah
Badu. It is modern jazz, but it has a lot of variety, including neo-soul
and Caribbean rhythms. The song “Ambrosia,” is dedicated to [the late]
Roy Hargrove: it has a slow, funky beat, the sort that Roy liked to
play.
On the album
are a number of illustrious musicians, including pianist Sullivan
Fortner, drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and vocalist Stephanie McKay. How
did their approaches contribute to the music?
The
music is always very melodically rhythmic and lyrical. Sullivan is one
who pushed melodic exploration to the extreme. Stephanie is one of the
most recognized and unique voices in today’s world stage. The timbre of
her voice has a resonance that soars over any type of accompaniment;
either you have it, or you don’t! These are the overtones she was born
with, you can’t practice it. And Terri Lyne easily navigates music from
rhythm to swing to neo-soul to funky.
Malika
Tirolien is also on the album providing vocals. Like yourself, she has
roots in Guadeloupe. How did that collaboration come about?
Malika
is featured on the entirety of my previous album, “Soné Ka-La Odyssey
2.” We have a long, strong collaboration going on eight or nine years.
She’s also the daughter of a close childhood friend. And lives in
Montreal, which isn’t that far away.
Speaking of the Caribbean, you are credited with creating Gwoka jazz and Voodoo jazz. Can you explain what those forms are?
Gwoka
jazz is a style of music from Guadeloupe. It’s also the name of the
instrument, a type of drum we created to play the music. Gwoka jazz is
directly inspired by African music and has seven fundamental rhythms. It
also has a style of singing that is very similar to what you find in
African-American music: the Blues. So it was not a big step to create a
style to connect the two musical traditions. Voodoo jazz is rooted in
both Voodoo rhythms and chants from Haiti. I’m lucky enough to have been
steeped in Voodoo musical traditions as a child: it’s part of the
wealth of culture I inherited. And coming to New York, I was surrounded
by Haitian culture, and privileged to know this as well.
Spirituality
is important to your work. You are quoted in The Guardian in 2011: “I’m
not pushing Voodoo, but I can’t see the point in music without
mystique. Reaching beyond our immediate perception of life, we can sense
networks, invisible forces, a living world that defies cognitive
analysis.” Say more, please.
We
are all trying to access the energy around us that is invisible but
palpable. It seems to me that music is by far the most powerful means to
tap into this source of energy from beyond. It’s one of the things that
anyone can relate to without being a musician.
You have a long history with Berklee. What’s your current relationship to the college?
I joined the Berklee
faculty in 2016 as a full-time associate professor. Part of that work is
to have created four of the eight ensembles that I’m teaching. One of
these is the Harlem Suite ensemble, which was created four years ago.
There are also the Afro-Caribbean jazz ensemble, the Roy Hargrove
jazz ensemble, and an instrumental neo-soul ensemble that has the vocal
styles of D’Angelo and Erykah Badu.
Both
your parents were writers. Your father wrote one of the great novels
about the Holocaust; your mother was in the vanguard of feminist
literature about the Caribbean. That’s quite a legacy. What influence do
they have on your work and humanity?
First
of all, they set an example of intellectual integrity, a work ethic and
an understanding of the endless quest of artistic creation. And long
before it was cool, they were a mixed couple — they had the strength to
brave the very judgmental look of society at the time. They were able to
put their love of humanity into their work in a way that people can
only dream of. My parents definitely showed me you have to face up to
your creative dreams with courage. If you step outside of the blazed
trails, it will not be easy at first. None of my records follow a
straight path: I am always exploring an aspect of music that is not
fully established as yet.
ON THE WEB
Learn more at brotherjacques.com