CHIEF XIAN ATUNDE ADJUAH RELEASES NEW ALBUM BARK OUT THUNDER ROAR OUT LIGHTNING “This is Adjuah’s first album that simply cannot be construed as contemporary jazz — and it’s the most compelling, undiluted LP he has made yet.” - NEW YORK TIMES |
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PHOTO CREDIT: Eric Ryan Anderson REMARKABLE FOURTEENTH STUDIO ALBUM FEATURES NEW INSTRUMENT CHIEF ADJUAH’S BOW; IDEATED, DESIGNED, MANUFACTURED AND PLAYED THROUGHOUT BARK OUT THUNDER ROAR OUT LIGHTNING BY CHIEF ADJUAH WATCH THE NEW VISUALIZER FOR “TROUBLE THAT MORNIN’” + LISTEN TO SINGLES “XODOKAN IKO - HU NA NEY” AND “BLOOD CALLS BLOOD” + HEAR THE FULL ALBUM NOW; DELUXE DOUBLE-VINYL VERSION COMING LATE 2023 UPCOMING LIVE DATES IN NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES, DC AND MORE CHIEF ADJUAH NAMED GRAND GRIOT OF NEW ORLEANS 2023 Multi-instrumentalist, producer and Chieftain of the Xodokan Nation of New Orleans, Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah has released his fourteenth studio album, Bark Out Thunder Roar Out Lightning, out today via Ropeadope. The album is his first under his reclaimed name as a distinguished tribal leader, having previously released as Christian Scott. His reputation as a boundary-breaking sonic auteur translates across his evolution, his legacy not only sustained but strengthened. Bark Out Thunder Roar Out Lightning sees Chief aspiring to impact the future of rock n’ roll and blues as much as he has influenced and been influenced by its past, conducting an excavation of the genres’ storied roots and past in New Orleans, the Diaspora, and West Africa. In celebration of what the album means and where it came from, Chief Adjuah shares, “Everything from call and response to thunderous drums, music that lives with us in celebratory, proclamatory, preparatory, joyous, and determined moments of our journeys. It was without measure the amount of healing it did to sing the old songs the old way and the new, the new. The Album is a part of my journey into Chiefdom, the gathering of community, and the inspiration it created and continues to foster. It is another kind of Ancestral Recall. Bark Out Thunder Roar Out Lightning was performed on Chief Adjuah’s Bow, a double-sided harp I created in 2021. It was built to serve as a bridge to the African forefather nations of the blues and its descendants, places like Mali, Senegal, Ghana, Benin, and Nigeria, and Instruments like the Ngoni, Ankoting, and Bolon. But now in a plugged-in, lightning in a VOX and smokin’ pedals kinda way. Each record is sung and sewn with the song and story of the Xodokan Nation, and that of the Nations of my kin, ancestors, and predecessor Chieftain. My Grandfather who led many nations Big Chief Donald Harrison Sr. of the Guardians of the Flame and my uncle NEA Jazz Master Big Chief Donald Harrison Jr. of the Congo Square Nation. It’s that roaring sound of the Maroon Nations of New Orleans. Drums make thunder and boom, tambourines ring through time itself it seems. And other times it feels like it's hailing a future of Rock n Roll that's fully connected to all these skeleton keys, threads, and seeds. Each thread unites in possibility. Simultaneously centuries-old and focused forward—a Sankofa’n approach to Rock n Roll, Blues, and yeah Stretch Music.” Along with the album release today, Chief Adjuah has shared a visualizer for standout single “Trouble That Mornin’”, shot at Vasquez Rocks by Eric Ryan Anderson and featuring ceremonial regalia and wardrobe designed by Chief Adjuah. WATCH HERE: https://youtu.be/i7P-lokIS3U BOTROL, an album which the New York Times calls “remarkable” and highlighted as a Critics Pick, hosts a collection of empowering recordings that serve as a future blueprint, including standout single “Xodokan Iko – Hu Na Ney.” On the track, a familiar melody is re-imagined as a call to the emancipatory energies of the venerated ancestors and self-liberated leaders of the African Diaspora and maroon communities of the Americas. It is a revelatory acknowledgment of today’s valiant leaders that also honors those who fought for liberation before it was law. The stirring opening track “Blood Calls Blood” instantly floods emotion and highlights the immense sound capabilities of Chief Adjuah’s bow, the new instrument ideated, designed and created by Chief Adjuah. From the title track to the sounds of “Trouble That Mornin’” and “End Simulation,” the record exists in continuity. The album is distinct in its purpose: dedicated to Chief’s grandfather and uncle, additional credit attributed to the descendants of Congo Square and the Maroons of the Diaspora. Of all the work that Chief has made under the umbrella of Stretch Music, BOTROL is his most ambitious attempt at a vast new terrain that easily conquerors new listeners with an understanding of the nuance at hand. The culmination of over two decades of trailblazing 21st-century music, BOTROL is a riveting exhibition of genre blindness and a comprehensively sharpened ethnomusicological approach to limitless fusion. Stereogum calls it “a love letter to New Orleans diasporic culture and the global Black diaspora in general, from its lyrics to the instruments Adjuah is playing on it to the costume he wears on the cover, which is derived from Mardi Gras Indian wear. “ Make no mistake, this is not a jazz album but rather Chief Adjuah’s new vision of the future of music and a reflection on the past, centered around storytelling and song. On BOTROL, Chief replaces his trademark trumpet here with a new instrument of his own design—Chief Adjuah’s Bow, an electric double-sided N’goni/Kora/Harp. BOTROL bridges past and future by marrying New Orleans culture and the folklore, ceremonies and rituals of the maroon and Afro-Indigenous chiefdoms with his own innovation: Stretch Music. The result is a spellbinding exhibition of Afro-New Orleanian and West African expression where music, dance, and cultures unite. Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah is a visionary in the world of music and has consistently pushed boundaries as a trumpeter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and designer of innovative technologies and musical instruments. As a two-time Edison Award winner, six-time Grammy Award nominee, and recipient of the Doris Duke Artist Award, Chief Adjuah has released thirteen critically acclaimed studio recordings, four live albums, and one greatest hits collection. He is widely recognized as the progenitor of Stretch Music, a groundbreaking style that embraces genre blindness and ethnomusicological fusion. Chief Adjuah's notable creations include The Stretch Music app, Adjuah Trumpet, Siren, Sirenette, Chief Adjuah's Bow, and Chief Adjuah's N'Goni. With deep roots in Louisiana's maroon chiefdoms, his lineage includes the legendary late Big Chief Donald Harrison Sr. and NEA Jazz Master saxophonist-composer Big Chief Donald Harrison Jr. Chief Adjuah has collaborated with renowned artists such as Prince, Thom Yorke, Flea, Common, Thundercat, Yasiin Bey, A$AP Ferg, Wiki, Boogie, and more. Earlier this summer, Chief was named the Grand Griot of New Orleans at the Maafa Commemoration of 2023, put on by the Ashé Cultural Arts Center. This honor is not only an amazing recognition given to a pillar of the community but also a great responsibility as the gatekeeper to a cultural legacy and storyteller for the next generation. Chief Adjuah will release a deluxe double-vinyl version of Bark Out Thunder Roar Out Lightning to follow in late 2023 - order now, catch Chief Adjuah live on tour, and stay tuned for more info to follow. WATCH THE VISUALIZER FOR "TROUBLE THAT MORNIN'" LISTEN TO BARK OUT THUNDER ROAR OUT LIGHTNING |
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CHIEF ADJUAH LIVE DATES Saturday August 5 Los Angeles, CA The Music Center Friday August 18 Washington, DC Kennedy Center Saturday August 19 New York City, NY LPR Wednesday August 30 Denver, CO Holiday Theater Thursday August 31 Phoenix, AZ Music Instrument Museum Saturday September 9 Seoul, KOREA Brown Sugar Donut Monday September 11 Tokyo, JAPAN Blue Note Tuesday September 12 Tokyo, JAPAN Blue Note Wednesday September 13 Tokyo, JAPAN Blue Note Friday September 15 Shanghai, CHINA Jz Club Saturday September 16 Shanghai, CHINA Jz Club Sunday September 17 Shanghai, CHINA Jz Club FOLLOW CHIEF XIAN ATUNDE ADJUAH |
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