Trails of Tears

In the 1960s, French trumpeter and composer Jacques Coursil was part of New York’s free-jazz scene, appearing on Sunny Murray’s first album and Frank Wright’s Your Prayer; soon he went on to record under his own name. 2011’s Trails of Tears, which is a musical meditation on Native American displacement and African slavery in America, finds Coursil leading Cadences Libres, a quartet that includes keyboardist Jeff Baillard, bassist Alex Bernard, and drummer José Zébina. “The Removal, Pt. 1” features another band, Free Jazz Art, made up of drummer Sunny Murray, bassist Alan Silva, clarinetist Perry Robinson, pianist Bobby Few, and alto saxophonist Mark Whitecage. Coursil displays a distinctive style, and he makes effective use of long tones and stuttered notes. Cadences Libres create a low-key and often impressionistic backdrop for his unusual trumpet solos. Free Jazz Art, by contrast, performs more heady music that breathes fire at times. Bobby Few dazzles as a member of the sextet, as well as on “The Removal, Pt 2,” a moody piece for trio.