As I have gotten older better I have come to place a premium on the live performance experience, not only in music but quite honestly in life. I hold zero disdain for the recorded experience, it’s just that the recording is not like being there. Often, our lives prevent us from being there but a documentation, a documentary of a moment in time can often be the next best thing.
Award-Winning Poet/Singer Tai Allen has brought us his next best thing with Live Produce a project that has been described as having “…its roots in soul traditions mixed with a bevy of disciplines, including blues, R&B, acid jazz, poetry and organic composition.” That it does and the end result is a rich sonic gumbo that as Live Produce is tasted transports the listener there, into that/those moments whereby audience and artist behold from above and below the tight rope that is the live performance experience.
Recorded in multiple venues up and down the East Coast over the past three years Live Produce features a rotating cast of seasoned professionals: Dalmar James, David Pilgrim, Entrfied, Rakiem Walker, Granville Mullins and Ivan Katz. Legendary composer Onaje Allan Gumbs also contributed to the album with his New Vintage band, including a rework of “16 Tons ” and guest piano on “ Home Is Where Is The Hatred Is.”
Live Produce is available now via Bandcamp (make sure to press play above) and will be available on all major digital retailers beginning March 2.
Ivan Orr is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, performer, and writer. A native of Charlottesville, Virginia Ivan was involved with the forming and nascent days of The Music Resource Center as its first Program Director. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Music, Ivan currently resides in Richmond, VA where he maintains an active performance and production schedule while serving as the Music Editor for Grown Folks Music, a position he has held since 2010.
