Austin-outfit NORI share striking reinterpretation of Neil Young’s ‘Old Man’

NORI | Photo Credit: Fatima Carbajal

Today, expansive alternative-jazz quintet NORI have shared a striking reinterpretation of Neil Young’s classic track ‘Old Man’. The cover is taken their forthcoming album ‘Walking Foot’, which is out 15th August. The record is the Austin-based band’s first new material in almost four years was recently announced alongside their single ‘Piece Of You’.

Made-up of Akina Adderley on vocals (great-niece of jazz legend Cannonball Adderley and granddaughter of Nat Adderley), Erik Telford on trumpet, Nick Litterski on keys, Aaron Allen on upright bass, and Andy Beaudoin on drums, the band have already earned early plaudits from the likes of Jazz FM, Record Collector, The Austin Chronicle, All About Jazz, UK Vibe, and more, for their beguiling combination of deeply rooted US jazz, soul, and folk. Their music playfully weaves together a myriad of global influences, combining wide-open jazz improvisations with elements of chamber music, 808 drum machine patterns, Americana, soul, and more.

Historically NORI’s pertinent and poetic lyrics have shone a light on trauma, survival, and power, and that still holds true here. The album tells a patchwork of stories told from various generational perspectives touching on everything from gender dynamics and the struggles of marginalised people, through to mental health struggles, abandonment, hope, rebirth, and more. The band take inspiration from quilt making (including the artwork and album title) as a metaphor for the stitching together of these themes - the walking foot attachment to a sewing machine creates harmony between thick, seemingly unamenable, layers of fabric.

‘Walking Foot’ follows the band’s self-titled compilation release in 2021 that documented selected tracks from the band's diverse catalogue along with a previously unreleased cover of "Four Women,” a song by the band’s patron saint of music – Nina Simone. The inspiration they take from Simone can be felt deep within the architecture of the new album (and indeed the band’s discography) as can the likes of Bill Frisell, John Coltrane, Joni Mitchell, and Neil Young – the latter of which is covered on this new album in a striking reinterpretation of ‘Old Man’, which consists of a woman calmly and sternly telling a man, “Take a look at my life. I’m a lot like you,” as opposed to the original narrative which centred on a man pleading with another man to reflect on himself.

The track was premiered by MAGNET who say it “plays like a soundtrack to some hypothetical theatrical production with Pulitzer aspirations,” continuing to say, “Trumpeter Erik Telford’s string arrangements are especially moving, laying a lush orchestral foundation for the group’s well-positioned improvisational interludes.”

Speaking on the single drummer/bandleader Andy Beaudoin says, “Nori has a history of reimagining familiar songs of the past. The band’s unique take on the Korean folk song ‘Arirang’ and a free jazz version of the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ both come to mind. Our version of Neil Young’s ‘Old Man’ is very much in line with that. The dissonant crescendo of strings and piano at the very beginning of the track attempts to reset any preconceived notions about the original. And when you hear Akina’s assertive voice enter with the very first words of the song, I think you’ll immediate realize there are some gender dynamics at play here.”

Hear / share ‘Old Man’ here

Elsewhere on the record, NORI speak to the attempted erasing of marginalised people on the powerful “Dead and Gone”, which combines impassioned jazz instrumentation with soulful singing and strings. They also touch upon struggling with anxiety on “Hurricane”, which exemplifies Telford’s compositional dynamism in its complex string arrangements, as well as giving intimate insight into dealing with the pain of a complicated relationship on “Tiptoe”, which sees the band seamlessly integrating more contemporary hook-led influences into their sound.

Speaking on the album, Beaudoin says “Throughout this album there are many different styles and musical approaches intertwining in a way that we hope results in what sounds like genreless music. There are improvised solos like you would hear in a jazz setting. There are string arrangements like you would hear in a classical chamber music concert. There are even drum machine sounds like you would hear on a hip hop album. It’s super liberating to approach music making in this kind of a way.”

‘Walking Foot’ is out 15th Aug – Pre-order here

Tracklisting:
1. Dead and Gone
2. Tiptoe
3. Old Man
4. Dawn
5. Set It Down
6. Hurricane
7. Piece Of You
8. Quilt Song
9. Sound of Snow

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