What Place Can Be For Us

Honing a hybrid of freewheeling post-bop and social commentary & hellip;Branker incorporates these elements in broad, bold strokes, like a muralist. He has yet to make a bad record. - JazzTimes. For his eighth release on Origin Records, composer Dr. Anthony Branker presents this captivating ten-movement suite that speaks to notions of "Place" and the overarching issues of inclusion and belonging, as well as circumstances of exploitation and zones of refuge experienced by people of color and other global citizens. It is brilliantly performed by the latest edition of his group Imagine, featuring tenor saxophonist Walter Smith III, trumpeter Philip Dizack, alto saxophonist Remy Le Boeuf, guitarist Pete McCann, pianist Fabian Almazan, bassist Linda May Han Oh, drummer Donald Edwards, and vocalist/spoken-word artist Alison Crockett. Branker's ensemble takes his expansive compositional vision and infuses it with passionate performances drenched with lyrical flow and ingenious rhythmic interplay. "(Branker) illuminates the pungent individuality of each musician without compromising the prominence of his own voice & hellip;" -JAZZIZ