Butcher Brown | Interview | New Album, ‘Butcher Brown Presents Triple Trey featuring Tennishu and R4ND4ZZO BIGB4ND’
Butcher Brown recently released a new studio release entitled ‘Butcher Brown Presents Triple Trey featuring Tennishu and R4ND4ZZO BIGB4ND’, the album deconstructs the traditional jazz big band sound and injects it with rap, boom bap, R&B, funk and more.
The new album was originally written and produced by the band’s MC and multi- instrumentalist Tennishu as a hip hop album, but has since evolved into Butcher Brown’s own eclectic ode to big band jazz, their first foray into this format. ‘Butcher Brown Presents Triple Trey’ is both trail-blazing in its approach to classic jazz, bringing the band and the R4ND4ZZO BIGB4ND to lay down a collage of jazz suites for a hip-hop album, and simultaneously mashing together elements of the soul, funk, and rock influences that has formed the band’s musical identity.
Vinyl of the new project will be available on November 11th in standard black and “Opaque Blue” as a limited pressing of 2000 for Indie Retail. The 12” Vinyl includes a 7” with two bonus tracks ‘Guitarmy’ and ‘Peace’. The album’s cover art was created by famed designer Lou Beach (designer of Weather Report’s 1977 classic, ‘Heavy Weather’ and Butcher Brown’s most recent album ‘#KingButch’).
“I think improvisation is the way that we, as humans, move through life”
It’s really nice to have you. Have you been in this difficult time as an active musician?
Tennishu: This has been an extremely difficult time as an active musician. The pandemic has ended things by causing massive amounts of cancellations of performances, meet-and-greets, et cetera and the lasting effects have impacted travel, ticket prices and show attendance which is a bit of a triple whammy for creatives and artists in general.
We are all very excited about your new album, ‘Butcher Brown Presents Triple Trey featuring Tennishu and R4ND4ZZO BIGB4ND’, would you like to share how it all got together?
Tennishu: ‘Triple Trey’ originally started as a Hip Hop album that I self-produced back in 2019. After conversations with a friend of mine, I wanted to make something that was closer to the actual marketplace in terms of sound and composition.
At the time, Randazzo was arranging the music of fellow artists in the city for his big band and he asked if I would be into him doing that for ‘Triple Trey’, which I was. Once we performed the music for the album release party, we both came to the conclusion that we should record and release the project on its own. Fast forward to 2022 and now the album is out and we are super excited to share this music with the world.
What was your creative process for it and would you like to share some further insight on the recording and producing process?
Tennishu: The creative process for the songs on ‘Triple Trey’ started with just a drum groove that I tracked to my iPhone at a rehearsal one night. From there I went home and slowly built the tracks and track list over the next few months to form the self-produced version of the album.
From what I know, Randazzo spent many nights while on tour and at home crafting the arrangements that would go on the Butcher Brown version. I remember seeing him write music in the back of vans, on trains in Europe and at Airbnb’s sprinkled throughout the US. Once all of the arrangements were done, we performed them live and then recorded them at a studio in Richmond to get the sounds you hear on the album.
“These two genres have an old bull to young bull type of relationship to me”
The fusion of jazz and hip hop can work together really well, … do you feel that during all the years playing this kind of music that you become more comfortable as musicians?
Tennishu: I have definitely become more comfortable with this particular fusion. These two genres have an old bull to young bull type of relationship to me so it took a while for me to understand both on the same plane but now that I have been engaged in both worlds for over two decades, I am very comfortable hanging out with both and not getting run over.
How would you compare it to your previous album on Concord Jazz, ‘#KingButch’?
Tennishu: This album is quite different from ‘#KingButch’ mainly in the fact that all of the songs come from me and the arrangements come from Randazzo.
‘#KingButch’ was a project that was forged over time with musical ideas generated by all five members of Butcher Brown so the chemistry is different and the overall statement is unique. ‘Triple Trey’ is more of an expansion on the ideas of one and serves a different musical purpose to the listening field.
How important is improvisation for you?
Tennishu: Improvisation is extremely important to me. I think improvisation is the way that we, as humans, move through life. Our interpretations of the situations that we are in dictate our response to the situations which are improvisation at its core.
What are some of the most important players that influenced your own style and what in particular did they employ in their playing that you liked?
Tennishu: Miles Davis was a big influence on my overall artistic mindset. Miles didn’t back down with his creative ideas and so I work everyday to have that same confidence with the things I create, whether they are good or not.
Vinyl will be available in November?
Tennishu: Vinyl will be available mid-November via Concord.
What are some of the most interesting records in your collection?
Tennishu: I just added Larry Young’s ‘Unity’ to my collection. That record to me is very interesting because there is so much chemistry going on between the musicians that it feels completely natural and it makes me want to play it over and over again. I have felt this way about that record ever since I first heard it.
Is there an album that has profoundly affected you more than others?
Tennishu: That album for me is 50 Cent’s ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’.’ I worked at a car wash the summer the album dropped and I remember at least 75% of the vehicles coming through that car wash all summer coming through with that album play on the inside in addition to the constant radio play. This album really helped me to understand the music industry as a whole as well as how strong of a connection people can have toward an artist’s project.
What are some future plans?
Tennishu: For me, I plan on sharpening my skills on the electric bass and on the drum set. I am infatuated with these instruments and they have really helped supercharge my level of production so far so I am going to keep going. I also look forward to contributing and releasing new music for Butcher Brown and many other artists.
Thank you. Last word is yours.
Tennishu: Thanks for listening to Butcher Brown presents ‘Triple Trey’. Be on the lookout for new music from Butcher as well as everybody else in the group individually in the near future. Thank you!
Klemen Breznikar
Headline photo: Jacob Blickenstaff
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‘Unbelievable’ by Butcher Brown | New Album, ‘Butcher Brown Presents Triple Trey featuring Tennishu and R4ND4ZZO BIGB4ND’
