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.

Across the album's four-part "Evensong" suite and a sparse rendition of the hymn "His Eye Is on the Sparrow," Ellis weaves together a tapestry of hammered dulcimer, flute, piano, and voices, creating a meditative and exhilarating listening experience. Their work invites the audience to engage in deeply attuned listening, encouraging them to hear the new sounds that "already live in the one sound."