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Baker's Dozen

Absorbing The Light Of The African American Avant-Garde: Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe's Baker’s Dozen
Stewart Smith , February 2nd, 2022 09:48

In an epic Baker’s Dozen, Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe lets Stewart Smith into the secrets of his Candyman soundtrack, and celebrates Black excellence from Don Cherry to Moor Mother, Olly W. Wilson to Pamela Z

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The Honourable Elizabeth A. Baker - Quadrivium

I came to this work fairly recently. I don't remember how I discovered it, but I was immediately compelled by it. Something about how the piano was played. I think maybe when I utilise pianos, I feel like sometimes I'll make similar chordal choices or progression choices. I’m garbage at playing the piano. Those forms that I’m drawn to, The Honourable Elizabeth A. Baker is doing those things much, much better than I possibly could. But I think that's what drew me into that sonic world. They’re just excellent compositions and the nature of the elements, the instruments that are used inside of the compositions, are really awesome. And this is just my opinion, but at moments I hear a relationship to the things that [Italian avant-garde collective] Il Gruppo was doing in the ‘60s. You know, just the specific choices that were made with this record. I’m not necessarily saying that it was intentional, or derivative in any way, it’s just something that comes to mind when I hear it.