Trombonist Joel Adams grew up in Madison in the '90s, then migrated to New York in 2000 to follow his musical ambitions. He now resides in Chicago, where he's the leader of the Having a bigger cast of characters also gives each performer's personality a chance to shine, he says, while drawing upon the group's collective oomph. In the case of the Yestet, these personalities are socially conscious ones, and their collective impact isn't just a musical statement but a platform that educates listeners about political issues and rallies them to respond. Adams says that personally, it's hard not to use the thing he loves -- music -- to express his beliefs. In fact, he may be even more dedicated to expressing these opinions than playing in bands. "I feel much more strongly about our current economic crisis, the 47 million people without health insurance and our two unnecessary foreign military occupations than I do music. I guess that's why I've tried to find ways to express some of what I'm feeling through the music itself," he says. Sometimes this has been a successful strategy, he notes, but other times it's led to a pink slip. Luckily, he and the other members of the Yestet see eye-to-eye in this regard. Sharing an ideology of progressive politics and peaceful optimism is a common goal -- even a mission -- among the group's members. This set of beliefs permeates many of the tracks on the group's newest album, Jazz Is Politics?, in particular a song called "Peace Dance." For Adams, the song gives Martin Luther King's most famous phrase -- "I have a dream" -- a rich new context. "I actually heard 'Peace Dance' in a dream in 1998, and I only know that because I woke up and wrote it down in the middle of the night," he says. "The dream was that I was on this ship with a large group of people, all arm in arm, and I heard this bassline and then the harmony. It sounded like a Miles Davis 'In a Silent Way' kind of groove, and the vibe of the dream was just this strong feeling of love." The song begins with rolling waves of jazz chords by the horn section, then evolves into a slow-burning four-bar vamp. After a duet by the piano and drummer, a smooth and sultry voice joins the conversation, speaking sweet nothings to a character simply known as "Lady Peace." The owner of that voice, it turns out, is none other than Madison hip-hop artist Rob Dz. "I knew the song would be a perfect vehicle for Rob's spoken word, but I was absolutely blown away when he turned the piece into a metaphor for a dance with 'Lady Peace.' He definitely found a way to make a powerful and meaningful political statement out of it," Adams says. "It's stunning, don't you think?" An MP3 of "Peace Dance" is available for download at right. MadTracks highlights and provides MP3s of songs performed by local musicians. All tracks here are provided with permission of the artist. If you are a musician based in the Madison metro area and are interested in sharing your work as a MadTrack, please send a message.
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