Ambrose Akinmusire - honey from a winter stone (2025) [Official Digital Download]

Composer and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire’s honey from a winter stone is out January 31, 2025, on Nonesuch Records, available to pre-order here. The album, which Ambrose calls a “self-portrait,” features improvisational vocalist Kokayi, pianist Sam Harris, Chiquitamagic on synthesizer, drummer Justin Brown, and the Mivos Quartet (violinist Olivia Deprato and Maya Bennardo, violist Victor Lowrie Tafoya, cellist Tyler Borden). Akinmusire says, “In many respects this entire work is inspired by and is an homage to the work of the composer Julius Eastman and his organic music concept.

“This album is about the fears and struggles I personally face, as well as those many Black men endure: colorism, erasure, and the question of who gets to speak for my community, and why,” Akinmusire explains. “There’s also the constant negotiation of what happens when I don’t conform to certain expectations or when I choose to reject those imposed on me. These are the complexities I navigate daily.

“When I made this album, I was thinking about others who face these same struggles,” he continues. “I’m always considering who I represent—on all levels, in all the roles I play within my various communities. It’s about understanding the weight of those roles and the responsibility that comes with them.”

On the track “muffled screams,” Akinmusire reflects, “It emerged from a near-death experience, which I survived because I wanted to be alive to protect my son. Kokayi improvised the lyrics based on personal stories I shared with him.”

TRACKLIST

1. Ambrose Akinmusire - muffled screams
2. Ambrose Akinmusire - Bloomed (the ongoing processional of nighas in hoodies)
3. Ambrose Akinmusire - MYanx.
4. Ambrose Akinmusire - Owled
5. Ambrose Akinmusire - s-/Kinfolks



Thanks to the Original customer.