But Only After You Have Suffered, by Jamire Williams

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But Only After You Have Suffered

by Jamire Williams

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Marissa Mele my favorite album of 2021. absolutely gorgeous
Favorite track: Pause In His Presence (feat. Lisa E. Harris & Sam Gendel).

Emil Sayfullin Challenging, gorgeous, poignant, overwhelming, multi-dimensional effort. I give it all my focus.

Thank you! Favorite track: When It Gets Dark (feat. Kenneth Whalum).

TIPI-M Ethereal, haunting, present, chaotic, fluctuation between different states of mind. Constantly throwing me off balance for then to reel me back in again.
A companion on snowy windy winter walks as well as listening sessions in front of the fireplace with eyes closed and warm tea in the hand.
A truly stunning masterpiece of an album that gives me goosebumps, shivers down the spine and teary eyes all at once.

Favorite track: Pause In His Presence (feat. Lisa E. Harris & Sam Gendel).

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Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Limited edition 160-gram *Clay Slip* color vinyl LP (pressed by Smashed Plastic in Chicago) in a heavyweight reverse-board jacket with 4-page insert booklet, East-side IARC obi strip and dome-patterned inner-sleeve.

*Ships from US, EU, & UK*

Includes unlimited streaming of But Only After You Have Suffered via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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edition of 777

Purchasable with gift card

$29 USD or more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Classic black 160-gram vinyl LP (pressed by Smashed Plastic in Chicago) in a heavyweight reverse-board jacket with 4-page insert booklet, Eastside IARC obi strip and dome-patterned inner-sleeve.

*Ships from US, EU, & UK*

Includes unlimited streaming of But Only After You Have Suffered via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 7 days

Purchasable with gift card

$24 USD or more
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Shiny compact disc inside a deluxe 6-panel digipack.

*Ships from US, EU, & UK*

Includes unlimited streaming of But Only After You Have Suffered via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 7 days

Purchasable with gift card

$14 USD or more
Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Purchasable with gift card

$9 USD or more

1.	Hands Up 01:48 video	buy track
2.	Bow (feat. Corey King) 02:42	buy track
3.	Ugly (feat. Mic Holden) 03:24	buy track
4.	Just Hold On 02:43	buy track
5.	Take Time Look Up (Jawwaad Speaks) 00:44	buy track
6.	Safe Travels (feat. Fat Tony & Zeroh) 03:16	buy track
7.	C'est Un Mot 00:53	buy track
8.	For The Youth (feat. Corey King) 04:33	buy track
9.	Pause In His Presence (feat. Lisa E. Harris & Sam Gendel) 03:39	buy track
10.	No One Knows 02:19	buy track
11.	When It Gets Dark (feat. Kenneth Whalum) 03:35	buy track
12.	And Then The Anointing Fell 02:51	buy track

about

'But Only After You Have Suffered' is a densely layered and deeply personal new work from multidisciplinary artist, composer, percussionist & producer Jamire Williams.

Conceived as a spiritual, autobiographical artistic statement, Jamire applies sound collage practice to modern jazz composition, beat production, MC/vocalist features, and his uniquely impressionistic drumming style – making an album as akin to minimalist painting as an art-house film soundtrack or a classic hip-hop mixtape. A “self-reflective, almost testimonial work” that swiftly cycles across a vast spectrum of styles, it's the culmination of his five-year musical journey to the outer reaches of his own sound. It’s the album he has always wanted to make.

To do so he engages his faith and the friends and family that shaped him, working with a host of close collaborators in a free and spontaneous manner. The shared musical, communal, and spiritual sensibility gives the album its sense of unity. “It’s a whole work,” Jamire explains. “It flows seamlessly, and it’s meant to keep playing until you really understand all the messages, prayers, and cries.”

Across twelve multi-faceted tracks, he brings together artists from his hometown of Houston (vocalists Corey King, Lisa E. Harris, Fat Tony, Jawwaad Taylor), those he became close to over several years living in LA (Sam Gendel, Zeroh, Mic Holden, Josh Johnson, fellow International Anthem artist Carlos Niño), and other creative partners from his life-long journey in sound (Chassol, Svet, Kenneth Whalum).

As such, 'But Only After You Have Suffered' builds its own world from the pull between Jamire’s jazz heritage - eleven years as a drummer in NYC recording with world-renowned musicians like Jason Moran, Christian Scott, and Dr. Lonnie Smith - and the experimental, narrative art-pop of his more recent work with Solange, Moses Sumney, and Blood Orange.

Its origins can also be traced to his 2016 solo percussion album '/////// Effectual' (released by Leaving Records) - a turning point for Jamire, who has since embarked on a process of stripping back and breaking down his musical identity, creating a new sound from the fragments that most speak to his experience as a musician and a person.

Rooted in his faith, Jamire opens the album with “Hands Up,” a devotional hymn cut against the stark reality of the modern world that sounds like an apocalyptic middle-grounding of Kendrick Lamar’s 'To Pimp A Butterfly' and Merry Clayton’s “Gimme Shelter.” Whether in the rousing, spiritual “Just Hold On” or the fluid verses of Fat Tony on “Safe Travels,” the music exists in the tension between higher realms and social realities - what Jamire calls the “duality of a personal thing and what I’m seeing in my community, in the Black community, as a Black man.”

The album reaches its climax on “Pause In His Presence,” which features a chilling operatic performance from Lisa E. Harris, recorded in one take off the back of a single conversation and a shared vision between the two artists. “Every time I hear that song, I cry,” Jamire says. “It’s so real.”

Having recently moved back to Houston, the release of 'But Only After You Have Suffered' marks a moment of Jamire coming full circle. A literal homecoming and his arrival as an undeniably multi-faceted artist in his own right.

credits

released December 3, 2021

Produced by Jamire Williams.
Recorded & Mixed by Jake Viator at Stones Throw Studios in Los Angeles, CA.
Mastered by Dave Cooley at Elysian Masters, Los Angeles, CA.

Art by Nik Ewing.
Liner Notes by Charisse Weston.
Insert Portrait by Ray Neutron.
Layout & Insert Design by Craig Hansen.

Jamire Williams – drums, vocals, drum programming, samplers, mellotron, synthesizer, sequencer, electric piano
Brandon Owens – bass guitar
Burniss Travis – bass
Carlos Niño – percussion
Chassol – keyboards, synthesizer, programming
Corey King – vocals
Daniel Aged – bass guitar
Fat Tony – vocals
Flash Gordon Parks – turntable
Jason Arce – bass clarinet
Jason Moran – piano
Jawwaad Taylor – vocals
Joelle Corey – vocals
Josh Johnson – mellotron, synthesizer, programming
Kenneth Whalum – vocals
Lisa E. Harris – vocals
Matthew Stevens – lead guitar
Mic Holden – vocals
Mike Haldeman – guitar synthesizer
Paul Cornish – midi strings
Peter Lee Johnson – strings & string arrangement
Sam Gendel – guitar synthesizer, alto saxophone
Svet – vocals
Zeroh – vocals

"Safe Travels" contains a sample of the recording “I Need Your Love” performed by Skip Mahoaney & The Casuals, courtesy of The Numero Group. Written by Skip Mahoaney & James Purdie. Published by Dust Index (BMI). Used with permission. All rights reserved.

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International Anthem is a Chicago-born recording company that produces and promotes progressive media.

The IARC mission is to make positive contributions to the changing state of the music industry, and to vitalize the demand for boundary-defying music by presenting unique sounds in appealing packages to untapped audiences. ... more

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