by Niko Skinner

Keyon Harrold, January 2024 (Goodwin, STLPR)

I’m going to be dipping into the jazz scene to talk about Keyon Harrold. Keyon Harrold is a jazz trumpeter, songwriter, and producer from Ferguson, Missouri. Like many musicians of this day and age, he was born into a family of musicians. He draws influence from his family as well as other musicians such as Common, Dr. Dre, Miles Davis, J Dilla, and Prince. Keyon has been releasing music and working with some of the biggest names in the game since 2006. The 43-year-old has lent his instrumental talent to names such as 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, PJ Morton, Big K.R.I.T., Diana Ross, Erykah Badu, D’Angelo, Keith Richards, John Legend, Mary J. Blige, and Nina Simone.

On January 19, 2024, Keyon released his new album, Foreverland. This is his third studio album after Introducing Keyon Harrold and The Mugician, the latter of which first got me hooked on his music. Foreverland features a vast array of sounds and guest artists such as Common, Robert Glasper, PJ Morton, Jean Baylor, Laura Mvula, Chris Dave, and Malaya. I generally categorize this as an album that would especially appeal to people at a cafe or a private club. First, I want to dive into “Find Your Peace”, in which Keyon forms the dream team of Robert Glasper, Common, and Jean Baylor. It is a 7-minute song with a relaxed drum beat, subtle tone transitions, soft vocals, and consistent trumpet and piano phrases. The song switches from just the instruments and vocals softly opening the song to Common rapping over the beat to solos from the piano, keyboard, trumpet, and vocals. The tone of the song starts out as peaceful then takes a more upbeat and serious turn where Common raps. From there, you can hear the song gradually transition back into more of that peaceful and lively feeling to close out the song. This song stands out to me not only because of the uniques elements used, but also because I have always been drawn to songs with the mix of jazz and hip-hop. Another song that stood out to me was the single edit of the title song, “Foreverland” with Chris Dave and Laura Mvula because it is one of the more intense songs on the album. In this one, you hear the dissonant vocals, drums, and cup-muted trumpet get more of the spotlight. Cup mutes have long been a popular staple in the world of jazz. While this song is primarily centered around jazz, it also embodies r&b with the harmonization of the vocals from Chris Dave and Laura Mvula. Another song in this album is called “Beautiful Day” with PJ Morton. As the title suggests, there is generally a happy and appreciative feel and message to this song. It’s in a major key, and the instrumentation is relaxed despite it gradually crescendoing. Crescendo is a term used to describe music getting louder. I have found that “Beautiful Day” is a stark contrast to the intensity of most of the other songs on this album.

I enjoyed listening to Foreverland, and it only reinforces my high regard of Keyon Harrold as one of my favorite jazz musicians. He really knows how to maximize his talents so that his music has no limits. It’s like he is creating a sub-genre of his own. It was also a treat to hear him once again collaborate with Robert Glasper because he is my favorite modern jazz pianist with a style that mixes really well with that of Keyon’s. I encourage you to not only listen to this album, but also to the aforementioned The Mugician. Both are linked below.

References

Goodwin, Jeremy D. “Keyon Harrold’s genre-bending new album reflects his quest for inner peace”. STLPR, 26 January 2024. https://www.stlpr.org/arts/2024-01-26/keyon-harrolds-genre-bending-new-album-reflects-his-quest-for-inner-peace