What is JJJJJerome Ellis' musical style?

JJJJJerome Ellis' musical style blends ambient, jazz, spoken word, and reimagined gospel, with a focus on using their stutter as a musical instrument.

How does Ellis' work explore themes of identity and freedom?

Ellis' album Vesper Sparrow explores themes of identity and freedom through a unique approach to listening, using granular synthesis to highlight the musical potential of their stutter within Black musical traditions.

What is the significance of the hymn "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" in Ellis' work?

The elongated, sparse version of the hymn "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" that appears on Vesper Sparrow reflects Ellis' interest in religious cadences and emphases, and their connection to their own stutter.

Home / Arts and Entertainment / Poet's Stutter Sparks Innovative Musical Exploration

Poet's Stutter Sparks Innovative Musical Exploration

14 Nov

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Summary

Grenadian-Jamaican-American artist uses stutter as musical instrument
Crafts ambient, jazz, spoken word, and reimagined gospel
Explores themes of listening, identity, and freedom

Poet's Stutter Sparks Innovative Musical Exploration

In the past few years, Grenadian-Jamaican-American artist and former Yale lecturer JJJJJerome Ellis has been captivating audiences with their innovative musical compositions. Centered around their own stutter, Ellis' work explores themes of listening, identity, and freedom through a unique blend of ambient, jazz, spoken word, and reimagined gospel.

Ellis works with granular synthesis, a process that uses tiny snippets of sound to craft intricate sonic landscapes. This technique allows them to highlight the musical potential of their stutter, which they describe as "a guiding light" in their creative process. The resulting album, Vesper Sparrow, is a gentle yet powerful exploration of the political and sonic reverberations of "dysfluency" within Black musical traditions.