Detroit-born drummer inspired by city's jazz legacy - Detroit Free Press

More than any other Detroit jazz export of his generation, drummer Gerald Cleaver has earned his reputation on the cutting edge. Well, the first thing he will tell you is that he's not trying to do anything new. I think getting preoccupied with creating something new handicaps you from actually doing it. ". On Wednesday, Cleaver makes his first appearance in his hometown since 2012. He'll lead Black Host, his avant jazz-rock quintet, at Trinosophes. One of several bands in various styles that Cleaver fronts, Black Host resists reductive description. Sometimes it sounds like the world is coming to an end. Sometimes it sounds like world peace. The players — alto saxophonist Darius Jones, guitarist Brandon Seabrook, keyboardist Cooper-Moore and bassist Pascal Niggenkemper — channel the fury of free-jazz energy music and collective improvisation into sometimes strikingly straightforward... "I wanted to specifically bring a consciousness that comes from pop music, the beauty of 3-minute songs that get right to the point," Cleaver said. "I wanted to bring that kind of cohesion to a free group, even if a song was 16 minutes long. Cleaver spoke last week by phone about Black Host, but a couple of summers ago he spent an afternoon at a coffee shop on. Source: www.freep.com