NIKARA presents Black Wall Street: The Queen of Kings County
Switch Hit Records

Operating under the NIKARA presents Black Wall Street moniker, vibraphonist Nikara Warren honours the Brooklyn borough she calls home with her combustible sophomore set The Queen of Kings County. Like the locale, the recording teems with diversity and excitement as Warren folds jazz, hip-hop, electronic music, and R&B into a vivid tapestry that references Marvin Gaye and Nina Simone and showcases a stellar cast of top-tier talent. Joining Warren are woodwinds players Craig Hill (tenor saxophone) and Hailey Niswanger (clarinets, saxophones, flute), trumpeter Alonzo Demetrius, guitarist Corey Sanchez, keyboardist Axel Tosca, drummer David Frazier Jr., and bassist Parker McAllister. Adding to the album's impact, one track, “Stratford Penthouse,” even features her grandfather, the great pianist Kenny Barron, and a tapestry the album most assuredly is when Warren intersperses a number of evocative voice-laden interludes (their titles nodding to Bedstuy, Flatbush, and Prospect Park) in amongst the ensemble pieces.

A better opener than Marvin Gaye's “Inner City Blues” would be hard to conceive, and Warren and company make the most of it. Opening on a funky and bluesy tip, the dramatic tune seduces quickly, with Warren sprinkling the first solo over a percolating, horns-accented groove and the others feverishly digging in. As the music grows ever more lustrous, Hill steps up with a wailing statement that Demetrius answers with his own clarion reply. The leader's ascendant “Eastern Parkway” takes its title from the annual Labor Day Carnival parade that celebrates music, dance, and food from different Caribbean countries. More critically, the infectious, bass-thudding pulse the ensemble stokes is as sinuous as the dancehall, soca, and calypso sounds that inspired it.

A shift in tone and tempo emerges when “Stratford Penthouse” pays tribute to her childhood home on Stratford Road with a heartfelt reminiscence that adds Barron, upright bassist Tamir Shmerling, and drummer EJ Strickland to other ensemble members. Even more relaxed is “Move On,” a rare excursion into soulful balladry. An entirely different left-turn arises when “Solar Plexus” serves up a blazing nod to the ‘80s house music scene, as well as to Warren's mother who introduced her to the music. Another surprise occurs when J. Hoard drapes soulful vocals across a breezy treatment of the Simone-associated “Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood,” the vibraphonist having chosen the piece to express her own experiences as a Black woman living in the city.

While all of the players distinguish themselves, a great jazz album needs a great drummer, and The Queen of Kings County has it. Terrific throughout, Frazier Jr.'s a tight, in-the-pocket player who powers the material with authority. Look no further than the high-velocity magic he brings to “2011” and the incredible drive he delivers to inspire the others. Almost as tasty are the two slow, hip-hop-styled breaks (the second featuring a slinky MC turn, by Warren presumably) that let the musicians catch their breath before lunging into another light-speed attack.

December 2024