Angel Bat Dawid finds creative kinship in Sistazz of the Nitty GrittyHannah Edgaron July 6, 2021 at 5:00 pm

Brotherhood, meet sisterhood. Those who know clarinetist, composer, and self-described “sonic archaeologist” Angel Bat Dawid from the incisive October release LIVE likely associate her with her stalwart seven-piece band, Tha Brotherhood, which backs her on that album. It was recorded during a fraught, frustrating 2019 European tour, but when the pandemic shuttered venues and stilled plane engines, Dawid turned her sights to more intimate musical ventures. So far they’ve included a duo act with galaxy-brained synth wizard Oui Ennui (cleverly christened Daoui), a one-shot spring 2021 release on AustralianLongform Editions, and, on Juneteenth, the astonishing Hush Harbor Mixtape Vol. 1: Doxology, which in its scale comes as close to 2019’s single-handed The Oracle as anything in her discography thus far. During the same time span, she also convened Sistazz of the Nitty Gritty, a gorgeously generative trio with pianist-vocalist Anaiet Sivad (who makes music under her first name) and bassist Brooklynn Skye Scott. So far the trio have mostly streamed their performances (under the auspices of Chicago presenters Elastic Arts and Fulcrum Point, New York’s Kaufman Center, and others), and those online sets showcase a languid, sumptuous sound. Anaiet lays out a plush foundation behind the keyboard, and her velvety vocals make a satisfying foil to Dawid’s full-throated, huskier singing. Whether walking or riffing, Scott’s bass is dusky, alluring, and quietly probing. The Sistazz performed live at Oak Park art space Compound Yellow last month, and later this summer they’ll open for the Sun Ra Arkestra in Central Park. This Hideout show is the Sistazz’ first in-person-only outing in the city since COVID–if you catch them now, you can say you saw them before all New York’s jazz cats knew their name. v

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