Raw Demoon Alchemy (A Lone Operation)

After separating from his partner of 10 years, saxophonist Darius Jones set out on tour “to capture a moment in time, to crystallize the beginning of something at the end of something else.” Born from a live performance—his last night on tour—Raw Demoon Alchemy (A Lone Operation) unearths a deep and profound vulnerability that isn’t just personal but also delves into the macro-level divisiveness of our current political climate, evoking sadness, rage, and confusion while still holding for glimmers of hope for the future.

With four of its five tracks, Jones selects compositions from artists who are not just unapologetically Black but also notably ones that he regards as “world builders.” From Sun Ra, Ornette Coleman, and Roscoe Mitchell right up through the present with Georgia Anne Muldrow, Alchemy draws immeasurable strength from each of these artists who dared to envision and create an entire universe unto themselves, on their terms.

With “Figure No. 2,” Jones offers us a modern-day version of the blues. Courtesy of Muldrow, her refrain encapsulates the vast breadth of the Black experience in America, transforming our deep-seated pain into our beauty and armor of resilience. Jones also proudly rests on the shoulders of Coleman and Mitchell, two of this music’s known improvisers who often stood alone in this music’s ever-changing landscape. He pays homage to Mitchell with “Noonah,” which in the late 1970s was initially met with jeers from an audience, that is, until his 21+ minute long version overtook them.

On Alchemy, Jones balances the emotional heft of closure with t simple act of standing alone as he taps into an unknown power of his lone voice, finding a newfound strength and enthusiasm that will carry him — and its listeners — beyond the uncertainty and doubt of not knowing.