Be Still Jalen Baker

• 1Twas06:14
• 2Be Still06:35
• 3Lexi's Lullaby05:28
• 4Herzog05:16
• 5There's Beauty In Fear08:48
• 6Jinrikisha05:06
• 7The Light06:32
• 8Body and Soul05:57
• Total Runtime49:56

Info for Be Still

“Be Still” is an album about reflection and new beginnings. So many things in my life have changed over the last few years and I wanted this album to feature music that represented my growth as a human as well as some songs that inspired me at the beginning of my musical journey (Body & Soul, Jinrikisha).

Baker is a strong, authentic voice in jazz vibraphone, building on the legacies of Stefon Harris, Warren Wolf and Joe Locke, while twisting the instrument’s idiosyncrasies to fit with his burgeoning musical personality. His debut album, This Is Me, This Is Us (produced by mentor Ulysses Owens Jr., and praised for the “faultless execution” by Jazz Journal) dropped on Outside in Music in September 2021, and wove themes of spirituality, trauma and political action into a cohesive, tightly-wrapped whole.

But the period following his debut release was far from cohesive for Baker. He had coincidentally moved back to Houston a few months prior to the Covid outbreak, and the pandemic elongated his stay. After returning for the first time in seven years, he found a sense of grounding and purpose in his hometown — something he attributes to being surrounded by family. All this change would shift his mindset on how to balance his life and career. “I think my perspective on a lot of things has changed as far as what’s important. A lot of the music on the album mirrors that,” he says. “I found a willingness to accept changes as they come and just embrace them.”

“As the pandemic has shown us, you can do all of this planning years in advance,” Baker continues, “but at the end of the day, you just have to trust the universe or whatever higher power you believe in is ultimately the deciding factor.” That combination of spirituality and belief in a higher power both stem from Baker’s upbringing in the church. Long before he would study in Chicago and eventually cut his teeth in New York (appearing with Ulysses Owens Jr. and Jeremy Pelt), Baker spent his formative years as a musician in the Baptist church. “Playing in a church is a school of itself,” he says.

The “be still” mantra is a complicated one, more to do with letting life take its course over searching for a literal stillness. Baker immerses us into that complexity through the first two tracks “T’Was” (a forward-facing rocker, with a big, percussion-led climax) and “Be Still” (clattering, lively, with the distinctive chimes of Baker ringing through and rattling past at speed). “These tracks come at a whirlwind,” Baker says, but there’s still time to introduce some key themes: “Looking back, but moving forward,” with regard to Baker’s grounding in the history of his elders, the presence of what he dubs “church-y harmony,” and a guiding philosophy — “accepting ideas, and adjusting accordingly.”

The dreamy yet intriguingly angled ballad “Lexi’s Lullaby” cools the pace, written for a younger cousin, who would toddle around Baker’s house while her parents would work from home. “That was pretty inspiring to me,” Baker recalls. “The way they just kind of float through life without a care in the world, as there was this catastrophic world meltdown going on.”

“Herzog” a Bobby Hutcherson tune, is one of a handful on the album that Baker would include as a waymarker showing how far he’d come from the inspirational tunes of his youth. “Jinrikisha” from Joe Henderson’s breakout Blue Note leader debut Page One (which translates as ‘rickshaw’ in Japanese), is another vehicle for Baker and the quartet to show their progress as a unit. The two arrangements pay homage to some of Baker’s greatest jazz influences while also serving as vehicles for impressive soloing.

“There’s Beauty In Fear,” a cinematic, bustling wave of ensemble sound, flows from the pen of Baker. It’s another philosophically-sculpted track. “I thought, if this is scaring me so much, this is probably something that I just need to attack, like full force,” he says of ongoing challenges in his life around work, art, and surviving as a jazz musician. He continues the metaphorical orientation on the nimbly polyrhythmic “The Light”, which was originally commissioned for an exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston about lighting configurations. “My first thought as it pertains to light was hope.. like running towards the light at the end of the tunnel.” In effect, the composition is optimistic by design, enhancing the emotional charge of the record. He signs off with a classically inventive take on “Body and Soul,” playing in adagio as perhaps another metaphoric statement, reminding us to seize those slow and stately moments, too.

Jalen Baker, vibraphone
Paul Cornish, piano
Gabe Godoy, bass
Gavin Moolchan, drums

Jalen Baker
born in Washington DC and raised in Houston, Tx, is a vibraphonist, percussionist, educator, and composer whose early training involved both classical and jazz genres. He decided early on to focus on Jazz and in May 2017 received his BA in Jazz Studies from Columbia College Chicago. While matriculating at Columbia College Jalen studied with percussionist Jarrett Hicks. He distinguished himself as a jazz vibraphonist and received several accolades including outstanding soloist at both the Notre Dame and Elmhurst Jazz Festivals and was one of two students chosen to represent Columbia at the Arcevia Jazz Festival in Arcevia, Italy. While in Chicago Jalen was also an active musician playing in various venues around town with the Jarrard Harris Quartet, The Dod Kalm Quartet, as well as leading his own group at venues such as The Jazz Showcase. He was also chosen to be a member of the Chicago Next Gen All-stars by the Chicago Jazz Institute.

Jalen was accepted as a Graduate Assistant in the Jazz Performance program at Florida State University and in May 2019 received his MM in Jazz Studies. During his tenure at Florida State Jalen continued to distinguish himself as a performer and was chosen as a Ravinia Jazz Fellow in 2018. He has been an active performer with the The Ulysses Owens Jr., Jeremy Pelt, Leon Anderson, Amina Scott quartets as well as leading his own band in venues in and around Georgia, Florida, Texas, and Chicago. As a band leader Jalen has also been awarded the prestigious South Arts Jazz Roads Touring Grant. He has been the featured artist with various organizations such as the Savannah Jazz Orchestra, Houston’s Da Camera, Miami’s WDNA Jazz Hour, Modern Marimba and Live Music Movement Houston. In June 2021 Jalen released his Debut Album “This is Me, This is Us” on Outside In Music which has garnered recognition by various jazz blogs and magazines such as Textura, Making a Scene, and Jazziz.

Currently living in Houston, Jalen continues to compose and perform. His unique blend of original modern jazz compositions and jazz standards make for exciting live performances.

This album contains no booklet.