The Griots Speak

Ars Nova Workshop presents the intriguing ensemble Griots Speak, a fusion of inside and outside sensibilities led by guitarist Charlie Apicella, at Solar Myth on Thursday, March 7.

Charlie Apicella is best known as a gifted hard-bop guitarist in the vein of Wes Montgomery and Grant Green, and as leader of the funk-fueled organ trio Iron City. But Apicella takes a wide view of jazz history, having studied with both Yusef Lateef and Pat Martino and trained as a music historian by Archie Shepp and Dr. Billy Taylor. In 2022 he formed The Griots Speak featuring three legends of the 1960s NYC loft jazz scene: bassist William Parker, saxophonist Daniel Carter and percussionist Juma Sultan, best known for his work with Jimi Hendrix. Together the band bridges straightahead and avant-garde approaches, resulting in an unexpected collaboration that All About Jazz hails as, “not only a delightful melding of styles, [but] also vibrant and alive with brilliant spontaneity…  Apicella has succeeded in creating a work which is simultaneously provocative and has wide appeal.”