Trumpeter Joshua Trinidad and his quartet have created an honest, raw, and unfettered work that reflects the tumultuous reality of the present.
Using the medium of improvisational jazz, :|masked|: is a direct response to the climate of fear and apprehension created by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s operations under the nation’s current presidential administration.
Set to release on Nov. 28, the project puts empathy at the forefront and offers a sonic reflection of those under the forceful weight of immigration enforcement.
The four compositions that make up this new recording are titled “Hide,” “Run,” “Fight,” and “Overcome,” four pieces that convey the traumatic experience at the core of the current status quo.
Earlier this month, a record 66,000 individuals facing deportation were detained by the federal organization — more than a 70% increase from the start of the current administration.
“The album explores the fear, resilience, grief, and hope that people across the U.S. are experiencing every day,” Trinidad stated. “Every sound on this album is unfiltered truth. 100% improvised. Recorded live. No scripts. No retakes. Just breath meeting moment — the way life meets us when we’re unprepared, unprotected, and still somehow brave.”
The Pew Research Center has determined that 22% of Hispanics living in the U.S. personally know someone who’s been deported or detained by the U.S. federal government for immigration reasons in the last year.
That is about one of every five individuals from the demographic.
Trinidad, a Mexican-American living in Denver, Colorado, described the current situation as “a reality that has shaken so many families and communities.”
This sense of urgency and concern is heard throughout the raw but precise performance.
Trinidad, leading the melodies of each piece, was joined by bassist Mike Brown, keyboardist Chris Johnson, and drummer Sean Merrell.
The project was recorded live at Mighty Fine Studios in Denver, Colorado, with Brown mixing and recording.
Together, the four musicians create a stirring soundtrack that conveys the fear, anxiety, and uncertainty of the moment.
This difficult reality is conveyed in the unconventional nature of the recording.
With driving rock-style percussion and dissonant progressions, the undertaking is an entirely unique example of the form.
It is a compelling and moving piece of modern jazz that reflects the complexity and layered emotion of the sociopolitical subject matter that it addresses.
The recording comes to a head with “Fight,” the third piece on the four-track recording, as it carries a barrage of percussion and an ever-progressing bass line accented by Trinidad’s dynamic performance.
“I hope this album gives voice to the unheard, sheds light on these struggles, and creates space for knowing and understanding,” Trinidad stated.
