Pre-Order "Catto: The Mission of Octavius Valentine Catto", Ruth Naomi Floyd

Our inaugural artist-in-residence, Ruth Naomi Floyd, is releasing her new album "Catto: The Mission of Octavius Valentine Catto" on Friday, October 4th.  Pre-orders are now available on our bandcamp page here.

Vocalist and composer Ruth Naomi Floyd has been at the forefront of creating music dedicated to vocal jazz settings that express theology, history, and justice. In her Spring Garden Record debut, Floyd contextually points to the past by drawing from the life, mission, and sacrifice of Octavius Valentine Catto, an educator, intellectual, and civil rights activist who was martyred on Election Day 1871 in Philadelphia while working for African Americans' voting rights. Floyd's new body of musical works is not just a reflection of Catto's message and actions but a powerful statement that offers a mirror to the present, while providing profound insights into the questions we ask ourselves as a society, a country, and as humans.

This recording explores the emotional depth and intricate layers inherent in jazz improvisational music: a living art form. Floyd's deeply moving lyrics and compositions, combined with the evocative harmonic and rhythmic sounds of the legendary Gary Thomas, Matthew Parrish, Bryan Carrott, Mark Prince, Anthony Nelson, Jr., and Paul Geiss, create a space for Floyd's powerful voice to sing compositions filled with messages of beauty, hope, sorrow, rage, protest, and hope. The recording masterfully showcases jazz improvisation's intricate layers and emotional depth, inviting the audience to a profoundly moving journey through the legacy of Catto's life and mission.