US jazz artist and composer Braxton Cook has released a beautiful five-and-a-half minute track dedicated to Ohio shooting victim, Ma’Khia Bryant.
Working on drums that were sent to him by London jazz artist Moses Boyd, Braxton Cook leads MB (For Ma'Khia Bryant) with his saxophone playing that has earned him admirers around the globe, touring with the likes of Solange in 2017.
Cook had originally saved the file for this song as 'MB,' the initials of his collaborator. However, following the tragic loss of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant, killed by a police officer in Ohio who has since been cleared of criminal wrongdoing, Cook decided to dedicate the release to the late Bryant whose initials are the same.
Whilst instrumental music has the tendency to be more abstract, less obviously political than certain strands of rap music for instance, Cook's tribute shows how jazz can be (and historically is) just as politically charged as any other genre.
Braxton Cook's new single is available on all streaming sites and as always, we would like to nudge you towards Bandcamp where you can pay this artist for their music.