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DURHAM — “There’s so much more to me,” Pierce Freelon sings in the refrain to “More to Me,” one of nine songs on “Silence Fiction,” the debut CD from local hip-hop quartet The Beast. The lyric to this song invites listeners to look beyond certain stereotypes and assumptions (particularly related to the Bull City), but Freelon just as easily could be singing about the music itself on this inaugural CD.
There is so much more to this recording than one might expect. Besides Freelon, The Beast is made up of Eric Hirsh on piano, Stephen Coffman on drums and Pete Kimosh on bass, all graduates of UNC’s jazz program. On “Silence Fiction,” they achieve a synthesis of different styles, with chromatic jazz harmonies in the keyboards and funk rhythms in the horn sections. The composition “Translation” has strong Latin influences, and features a guest appearance from the salsa band Orquesta GarDel. Local jazz listeners might also recognize other guests who contributed to this disc — Al Strong on trumpet, Andy Kleindienst on trombone and Tim Smith on saxophones.
Freelon’s poetry and word play are central to this mix. (“This is underground hip-hop,” he sings. “These are modern day spirituals/coated in the lyrical. ...”)
Local music fans can get a taste of The Beast’s new music today when they unveil their debut CD at Duke Coffeehouse.
“Silence Fiction” dispels the notion of rap as rhyme over a rhythm track. Pianist Hirsh attributes the unity of the album to the band’s emphasis on songs. “We really do craft songs,” Hirsh said. All of the band members grew up listening to different genres, all of which emphasize song format and expression.
“The music that we create is a reflection of us as musicians,” Freelon said. “We don’t just listen to rap. We listen to [pianist] Robert Glasper and jazz musicians” and other styles of music. “Naturally, when we step into a creative space as a quartet all those genres and collective sounds fuse,” he said.
Freelon, who teaches a course in Blacks and Popular Culture at UNC’s Department of African-American Studies, gives workshops that try to show the common roots of hip-hop, jazz and other styles. The Beast gave a workshop at this year’s Bimbé Festival in Durham. Hirsh said that Glasper, who records for the Blue Note jazz label, has “done a good job of straddling” the worlds of jazz and hip-hop, and is his strongest musical model for the kind of bridge-building The Beast tries to do.
“Silence Fiction” is a play on words, which Freelon says is his desire “to quiet falsehood” or “stop lying.” The recording has been in the works two years, and the writing reflects The Beast’s collaborative process of composing songs, Freelon said. “When we go into a song writing session, any member of the group may come with a specific idea or a thought that we may improvise around,” he said. From that process come “concepts that develop into songs.”
The recording is being released as a collaboration of the Beast’s label Chakra Con Music (a definite double play on words) and Robust Records of Chapel Hill.
Durham-based eco-fashion boutique Vert & Vogue is cosponsoring today’s show. Members of The Beast will wear clothes styled and made by the boutique. Vert & Vogue also will provide gift cards to crowd participants.
Other performers at this release party will be Durham-based Carlitta Durand, Raleigh-based Kooley High and Chapel Hill-based band Freebass 808. “I really think the bill we have put together is a showcase for North Carolina’s up and coming hip-hop and soul groups,” Hirsh said. “It’s a chance for people to see there is something else going on.”
