Ruler Rebel is the first in a trilogy of albums to be released this year by New Orleans trumpeter Christian Scott.
Like the late Miles Davis – the clear inspiration for Scott’s sound and image – the 33-year-old is consciously plugging into contemporary black musical culture, and in the 21st century that means hip-hop, not jazz.
In fact, like many of his predecessors, Scott is not a fan of the word jazz, preferring his own “stretch music”, a term expansive enough to embrace a forest of contemporary genres from jazz to New Orleans trap to EDM, as well as a root system of ethnic influences.
The results are strutting, grandiose statements that will resonate with the hip-hop generation, though Scott’s supreme self-confidence and princely swagger will strike some “jazz” listeners as vainglorious.
