Jeremy Pelt’s “Our Community Will Not Be Erased”
When I first heard about Jeremy Pelt’s “Our Community Will Not Be Erased,” I expected something big, brash, and boisterous based on the title and the tenor of our times: there are a lot of harsh things happening in the world, and it’s easy to see why people could be fearful for their communities and want to act.
But it’s not like that at all. And of course, now that I’ve read the liner notes, I feel a bit silly.
Rather than write about what the musicians are doing, I’ll just give you my impressions after a first listening and before having read the liner notes.
“An Angel – Dedicated to My Sister”: peaceful, reflective
“Fathers and Sons”: wistful, loving, consistent
“Manifesto”: insistent. The trumpet doesn’t give up. The drums drive.
“The March into Resilience: “We won’t be beaten.” Aggressive interplay between instruments, led by drumming.
“Brothas on the Corner”: electronic piano, eclectic, a lot of talk and high emotions (mini drum solos), competing
“Our Mother’s Nature”: uplifting, yet demanding, and finally loving/forgiving
“Fathers and Daughters”: muted trumpet—talking, gentle
“Sandman”: cheerfully eager, muted
“For the Community”: Welcoming
The music is about community and its many aspects. It’s an exploration and a gentle but firm plea to keep it intact.
Amen to that.
Personnel
Jeremy Pelt, trumpet, piano track 1
Orrin Evans, piano
Buster Williams, bass
Lenny White, drums
Lasse Corson, keyboards (tracks 2, 5, and 6)
Further Notes
Jeremy Pelt has been to Boise twice, both times with Emmet Cohen. He was here most recently in March 2026 with Emmet Cohen’s Miles and Coltrane at 100 tour.
“Our Community Will Not Be Erased” was released in February 2026. It spent 8 weeks at Number 1 on the JazzWeek Music Chart. It was still on the charts as of August at #21 as of August 10 and has been on the chart for a total of 24 weeks.
Jeremy Pelt’s Website: https://jeremypelt.net/