Caroline Davis

Ropeadope is proud to announce the October 13, 2023 release of Captivity, the powerful new album by alto saxophonist, composer and activist Caroline Davis’ Alula. Her first social justice album, Captivity situates Davis’ electro-free compositions alongside the lives of eight heroes who kept hope alive through incarceration. Augmented by turntablist Val Jeanty, bassist Chris Tordini and drummer Tyshawn Sorey, as well as special guests Qasim Naqvi and Ben Hoffmann, Captivity is a vital addition to Davis’ sprawling discography that aims to reflect, interrogate and amplify the essential conversation around incarceration, the prison industrial complex, and abolition.

Throughout history, the jazz community has traditionally played a major role in contributing to social justice efforts, and has often engaged in civil rights work even before certain movements were formally established. Through coded lyrics by blues singers like Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith, to Nina Simone’s impactful lyrics in “Mississippi Goddam” and “Young, Gifted, and Black”, to Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite, to Terri Lyne Carrington’s recent gathering, “Music for Abolition”; jazz and creative musicians have always been present, creating artistic works to protest injustices and speak truth to power. Caroline Davis’ latest album stands on the shoulders of these influences, providing creative insight on the injustices present in the system of incarceration in America, and highlights the undeniable strength of those who have been, and some who are still, incarcerated.

Davis’ first encounters with the prison system began around 10 years old, when she and her family would visit her uncle, incarcerated in Sweden. “I will never forget the look of the guards, the smell, the sound of the doors locking, and the look on my uncle’s face. With one glance he communicated an internal acknowledgement that he did something “wrong”, but also, not knowing how to exist in a society that had no interest in helping him grow and change,” she reflects.  “It’s as if he was never given a chance once he made a mistake, he was abandoned.” The system tore her family apart, and these experiences left a lasting impact on her.

All of Davis’ recent recordings have been built around larger themes including her highly praised 2021 album Portals Volume 1: Mourning (Sunnyside), which deftly dealt with the loss of her father and Alula (New Amsterdam, 2019), an electro-jazz scientific study on the alula structure of bones and feathers on most bird wings which garnered acclaim from The New York Times, Bandcamp and more. When the pandemic hit in 2020, Davis dedicated the free time she suddenly had to learning all about incarceration, its systematic underpinnings and its history. “Making this album helped me deal with the emotions I felt in my family and to relate to others who have felt similar emotions.”

Inspired by authors Maya Angelou, Jennifer Teege, and Rabindranath Tagore, who have written allegorical musings about birds in cages to relate to cultural and societal issues, the 2023 update of Alula still upholds the bird imagery, but now draws upon the metaphor of their potential captivity as a symbol of incarceration. The music, which ranges from soulful and spacious, to bombastic and brazen, is also inspired by the correspondence Davis has had with people who have been, or are still, incarcerated such as Keith LaMar, Jalil Muntaqim, Susan Burton, and Joyce Ann Brown “They live more richly and deeply than any people I’ve ever met.” Captivity is an engrossing sonic journey featuring virtuosic musicianship, and a rich juxtaposition of free improvisation, jazz, and electronics. Bolstered by carefully selected, impactful samples and enhanced by Davis’ empathetic approach, Captivity is a heartfelt marvel of creative expression that breathes new life into untold stories.

Credits:

Caroline Davis: alto saxophone, juno, voice

Val Jeanty: turntables, samples

Chris Tordini: acoustic & moog bass

Tyshawn Sorey: drums

Guests-

Qasim Naqvi: modular synthesizer (a way back to myself, the promise i made)

Ben Hoffmann: prophet 6 (put it on a poster)

Recorded at Figure 8 by Michael Coleman                                                  

Edited by Benjamin Hoffmann                                   

Mixed and Mastered by Joseph Branciforte 

Produced by Caroline Davis & Benjamin Hoffmann

Inside Photo by John Rogers

Original Artwork by Annie Del Hierro-Jost

Handwritten font by Keith LaMar

Layout by Katie von Schleicher

Gratitude to the Jerome Foundation, David Sheingold, Jen Shyu, and Sara Serpa. The music here supports the current visions of Keith LaMar, Jalil Muntaqim, Susan Burton, and all those who have hope for a world beyond incarceration.