Archaic Humans
On May 31, Brazilian group Nation Beat released their newest album, Archaic Humans. Featuring a line up of bandleader and percussionist Scott Kettner, tenor saxophonist Paul Carlon, trumpet player Mark Collins, trombone player Tom McHugh, and sousaphone player Heather Ewer, Nation Beat has been growing and evolving since 2017. In that time, they’ve built a tight ensemble, incorporating elements from jazz, funk, hip hop, and forró. Similar to New Orleans style jazz, where a sousaphone sits in for an upright bass, Nation Beat often features a grooving counter melody in the bass line, making it easy to move along with their music.
Nation Beat starts their album off with “Try, Try, Try,” a nod to New Orleans style jazz. Featuring a solo trumpet ringing out over deep, colorful harmonies, the track marches forward slowly, almost mournful. However, there is a powerful determination in the trumpet line, letting listeners know that we’ve only scratched the surface of their talent. The main trumpet melody returns again in a later track, “Give a Little,” featuring Christylez Bacon. Mixed with the infusion of hip hop and rapped lyrics from Bacon, a similar marching motif can be found in the rhythm. Bacon and the band introduce a call and response, where he sets up a phrase and the band responds by shouting “give a little!” As the track progresses, interpolations of the “Try, Try, Try” melody intertwine with the call & response, twisting the original. Nation Beat brings the marching motif back one more time for “Be the Change.” Where “Give a Little” incorporated hip hop elements, “Be the Change” brings in Latin influence. Staccato notes volley back and forth, occasionally allowing a swing melody to swim over in the higher voices. However, the rhythm remains like a march, diligently parading forward no matter what the other voices are doing. At the halfway point, a trumpet line rings out as a call to action - and the march keeps pushing forward.
Archaic Humans Album Artwork via The Bloom Effect
Not to be siloed, Nation Beat experiments with various jazz styles in the first half of Archaic Humans. In the second track, “Science Tribes,” heavy tom-tom focus from the drum kit and warbling accents transport the listener. Suddenly we’re watching a movie where the protagonist has to cut through tall grasses, exploring uncharted territory. Switching it up again, the following “Maracatu Gigante” infuses funk rhythms and repetitive drum beats. In both tracks, the sousaphone adds grooving bass, echoed in solos from the trumpet and saxophone. To close out this chapter of the album, the titular “Archaic Humans” brings back a primal rhythm, kept mostly by a cowbell and bass drum. The melody rises and falls through the scale, before the band shouts out “Archaic!” Instantly, a swing bass line rises to the top, quickly joined by dancing melody from the saxophone and brass line. During the sax solo, Carlon manipulates the instrument in a way that sounds like a computer malfunctioning, as if technology is moving too quickly. All fade out for a quick drum solo, before resetting and revisiting the original melody. In the second half of the album, Nation Beat again tries their hand at a film score, this time with “Race Car.” Buzzy brass notes and rapid beats swarm around for 100 seconds, emulating the rush of racing. It’s a fun take for the band, highlighting their wide berth of skills.
Nation Beat via The Bloom Effect
In addition to the aforementioned Christylez Bacon, Nation Beat collaborates with vocalist Melanie Scholtz. First is “Always Spring with You,” a sweet and tender love song. Scholtz’s vocal tone rings out, clear and kind. An ebb and flow from the instrumental line dances slowly, sitting just below the vocals. Despite a gentle tempo from the wind instruments, the drum and sousaphone groove along, keeping all the elements on time and pushing forward. Towards the end, the rhythm gives way to repeated claps, and the vocal line splits, layering harmonies in a round. Scholtz again lends her vocals to “Rhythm of your Dream,” a warning about flying too close to the sun. A Latin lilt in the guitar line and held, rolling notes from the sousaphone bring deeper colors than were found in “Always Spring with You.” Instead, Scholtz accesses the darker end of her vocal range as she cautions against being too overambitious. Even in this heavier setting, her tone is clear and beautiful, ringing out over the instrumental arrangement.
As a nod to their Brazilian heritage, Nation Beat includes a couple forró inspired tracks. Forró is both a genre of music and a style of dance, with a focus on quick movements between embracing dance partners. In “Forró le Fonque,” the bassline from the sousaphone fades in, distorted and dark, before being joined by the rest of the ensemble. Rapid notes bring intensity, as if the dancer is being chased. Crescendos and discordant trills bring musical phrases to their ends, and time is kept with a bright triangle. “Mo Forró” is more theatrical, with a looser structure than “Forró le Fonque.” Instead, the solos feel like improv, as if the band is relaxing into a jam session. Keeping with the forró tradition, a triangle still keeps the beat pulsing through, gluing the other elements together.
Archaic Humans closes out with two vocal tracks, each examining culture from a different lens. The penultimate “Inútil Paisagem,” or “Useless Landscape” in English, again features Scholtz. In the first half, she sings entirely in Portuguese over muted and repeated instrumental notes, stirring slowly underneath the vocals. Minor chords create unresolved tension and her clear voice rings out mournfully. At the midway, the drum kit speeds up slightly, keeping the vibe slow but brighter. Scholtz begins to slide between Portuguese and English phrases, and the instrumental lines rise to meet her, acting as a partnership instead of a supporting act, occasionally soloing countermelodies. Eventually, it all winds down and gives way to “A New Flow.” Bringing back Bacon, this stripped down track contains only his voice and a tambourine. The lyrics detail a global approach to music, explaining how styles have moved and evolved with cultural diasporas, resulting in different names for different instruments. As the rhythm builds, Bacon switches to beatboxing, marrying the Brazilian style from Nation Beat with his own from New Orleans.
Nation Beat will be bringing their album to Joe’s Pub on Saturday, June 15th. It’s bound to be a great show, so pick up your tickets here!
