Angel Bat Dawid

A new agent who can communicate with Sun Ra? Or the latest voice of free jazz/spiritual jazz?　Improviser, clarinetist, pianist, vocalist, educator, and DJ, Angel Bat Dawid's activities are far more diverse than can be summed up in a few words.

Born to missionary parents, Angel majored in clarinet at Moody Bible College and went on to pursue a career in music education at Roosevelt University, but when he was diagnosed with brain cancer, he had to work full-time to raise money for medical bills while also producing and participating in hip-hop projects in Chicago. He also founded the Participatory Music Coalition, a creative music collective in Chicago.

He first came to prominence with his debut album, "The Oracle," released on Chicago's International Anthem in 2019. Recorded on the move with a smartphone, the album was hailed by the American media outlet Pitchfork as "a vibrant spiritual work, a free jazz document of today's black life."

With this work, Angel's talents as both a bandleader and performer began to expand. The same year at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival, Angel performed his current 12-movement spiritual "Requiem for Jazz," a project that was also released live in 2023 and featured Marshall Allen and Knorr Scott of the Sun Ra Arkestra. The project was also released live in 2023.

Other projects include composing a suite commissioned by the Art Institute of Chicago for Yoko Ono's outdoor installation "Sky Landing," and leading the ensemble "Tha Brothahood" in a format that presents a grand concept that mixes gospel, poetry reading, and improvisation.

She has also expanded her range as a performer with the all-female ensemble "Sisters of the Nitty Gritty," the duo DAOUI with sound artist Ui Enui, and as a member of the Black Monument Ensemble, led by Damon Rock. He is also expanding his activities as a performer.

In the world of music education, he also teaches the "Great Black Music" course at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center and is a monthly DJ host on NTS radio in London.

text by Hideki Hayasaka