It’s not news that these are trying times on multiple levels, so I’ve been looking around for something uplifting and fun. While I was snuffling around like a pig hunting for truffles, two singles that give hope a shot in the arm magically appeared in my inbox: a hip hop single by Patrick Tripp titled “Walk with Me” and a pop tune from jazz pianist/composer Darrell Grant titled “Take Flight.”

Patrick Tripp
“Walk with Me” (GoodGreen Production)
A review
Every so often, I’ll get a request from a local musician here in the Albuquerque area to check out their music and consider them for a place in my monthly column in Albuquerque The Magazine, where I cover all sorts of music. When I heard Patrick Tripp’s hip hop single “Walk with Me,” off his album Stay Calm PT Is Here, I immediately wrote him back to tell him that I’d gladly walk with him. He’ll be appearing in the October issue of the magazine.

The song, cowritten with D. Brown and produced by Dynasty Records’ Scott Sena, opens with a feel good vamp touched by the islands, and Tripp starts flowing with a message that communicates sentiments similar to John Lennon’s “Imagine,” but on a more granular level, with humor and an uplifting, irresistible beat. It covers everything from world hunger to health care to racial justice to three-dollar trips to the moon.

Here’s one verse, transcribed by Tripp (I’ve added a couple of helpful commas):

Im tryna find me somewhere where i could go chill, dont gotta stress nor worry bout bill, and people aint still fighting over colors, everybody know we supposed to be brothers, aint no reason to hate one another, and people are foreal when they tell you they love you, no world hunger everybody eatin, people read books dont nobody watch tv, trust and believe me somebody help me, every single baby thats born is born healthy, the government officials dont cater to the wealthy , im real satisfied with the hand life dealt me, searching for where we could go like an island, gas prices only ten cents a gallon, listen up, homie, my thoughts are valid, lets stand united at the top of the mountain, walk with me

The song, the entire album, is infused with a determinedly positive vibe, and I found myself playing it over and over and over. Rather than denigrate women and glorify violence, Tripp wants to bring a unifying and compassionate message, which he feels is especially needed right now.

The song has earned Tripp a distribution deal and a radio campaign, not to mention a publishing deal. He’s hoping to set an example for young artists and demonstrate that they don’t need negativity to make a mark with their music.

You can find the song on many digital platforms. Check it out. Perambulate with this cat. You can find him on Twitter and Instagram (ptripp78) and on Facebook (patrick.tripp.71).

Darrell Grant
“Take Flight” (indie)
A review
I’ve been writing about jazz for 20 years but somehow managed never to encounter pianist/composer Darrell Grant, despite his impressive résumé, which includes work with Betty Carter, Chico Friedman, Brian Blade, and a slew of other fine artists. Lucky for me, though, his publicist dropped “Take Flight” into my path, and I’ve now happily made his acquaintance, musically at least. The song came from a request by his son’s eighth grade teacher, who asked him to compose a song that parents could sing to their children during their middle school promotion. Then came the pandemic and George Floyd, and Grant started cogitating on the hope that children bring for the future and the bittersweet feeling that parents have as they watch them go out the door into that future. The result of that cogitation was the beautifully composed, heart-swelling song “Take Flight,” lovingly performed by Grant (piano and keyboards), Michelle Willis (vocals), Gregory Uhlmann (guitars), Clark Sommers (bass), and Jordan Perlson (drums).

Grant’s music is often wedded to his community work, and this song is no exception. He engaged visual artist Alex Chiu to create, with the help of many hands, young and old, a mural that has graced Portland’s A/C Marriott Hotel this summer. Filmmaker Adolfo Cantú-Villareal captured that process in the short and engaging film Take Flight. Grant will donate 50% of all contributions to the “Take Flight” project and sales of the song on Bandcamp to Friends of the Children, a national nonprofit breaking the cycle of poverty through one-on-one youth support.

Kudos to Mr. Grant and to all the colleagues and contributors who made this happen.

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© 2020 Mel Minter