Bassist Junius Paul has been a secret weapon for a while now. Folks who know the Chicago-based musician — your Makaya McCravens, your Corey Wilkes, your Greg Speros, your Art Ensemble of freaking Chicago — they know this dude is the dude. He can get down with the best of them and he always does so while wearing the snazziest pair of tights. So to hear that he’s about to release his own album as a leader is rather exciting, particularly for the Chicago label International Anthem which continues to straight up kill it. Ism, dropping next month, and it’s got range. Paul with his group of Vincent Davis on drums, Justin Dillard on piano, and Corey Wilkes on horns are playing free, bebop, post bop, and so many other things in the genre that prove still that Junius Paul is that dude. Check out the first single, “Asé”, below and be on the lookout for Ism next month.
Ism, the debut album from bassist Junius Paul, is out November 22nd on International Anthem Recording.
Photo by La Masía Studio.