2025 NEW Release: The Commissioned Jawn - Chapter One
The Commissioned Jawn features original compositions by composer and multi-instrumentalist Kendrah Butler-Waters and collaborative works drawn from three of her recent commissions: the REC Philly/WRTI Commission (2021), the ConsensSIS Commission (2022), and the Ascendance Commission (2024). The REC Philly/WRTI work honors the legacy of legendary pianist, organist, and composer Trudy Pitts, centering sacred jazz as both a spiritual and communal practice while continuing her tradition of reverence and innovation. A centerpiece of the album is “Sisterly Affection,” a collaborative soundscape combining Butler-Waters’ original composition and arrangement with poetry by former Philadelphia poet laureates Trapeta B. Mayson and Yolanda Wisher, alongside oral histories from Black women and femme poets across Philadelphia. Also featured is “From the Bottom to the Top,” a collaborative soundtrack created for Ascendance, a permanent public art installation by Nina Cooke John of Cook John Studio that honors the cultural history of Philadelphia’s Black Bottom neighborhood in West Philadelphia. With The Commissioned Jawn, Butler-Waters offers more than an album—it is a living archive of collaboration, memory, and place.
Featured as part of this album:
Kendrah Butler-Waters (composer, piano, rhodes, organ, violin, vox) (Tag: @kendrahebw)
Erica Mack (drums, vox) (Tag: @emack_music)
Lynn Riley (alto saxophone, flute) (Tag: @lynnriley105)rilee
Dan McCain (electric bass) (Tag: @dmccain215)
Yolanda Wisher (poet, vox) (Tag: @yolandawisher)
Kenny Rosario-Pugh (guitar) (Tag: @kdawg180)
Paul Giess (trumpet/synth horns) (Tag: @pgtpt)
Brent White (trombone) (Tag: @brentwhitejazz)
Elle Morris (vox) (Tag: @i.love.elle.morris)
Wayv Wilson (vox) (Tag: @wayvwilson)
Kareem Idris (emcee/wordsmith) (Tag: @kareem_idris_renaissance_man)
Lee Smith - Bass (Tag: @leesmith321)
Sadayah Roberts - Drums (Tag: @dayluxent)
Marcell Bellinger - Trumpet (Tag: @bellingersounds)
Jon Katz - Tenor Saxophone
Christal Waters Porter - Lead Vocals, Background Vocals (Pray for Me) (Tag: @drchristal)
Waverly Alston - Background Vocals (Pray for Me) (Tag: @waverly.alston)
Trapeta Mayson (poet) (Tag: @trapetam)
Engineering:
Doug Raus (sound engineer, mixing) (Tag: @dougraus)
Sean Svadlenak (sound engineer, mastering) (Tag: @seansv)
Recorded at Jay Levin's Turtle Studio (Tag: @jay.s.levin)
Justin Geller (audio engineer) (Tag: @mrjustingeller)