Charles Owens Quartet was the featured artist for RVA Track’s monthly music video for September 2017. “Losing Victory” is the latest single from the Quartet’s last album, As One, which was released back in April. Owens’ Quartet is another big name from the Jellowstone Records crew. The quartet features Jellowstone impresario and Butcher Brown leader Devonne Harris on piano, along with Harris’s Butcher Brown bandmate Andrew Randazzo on bass, and Kelli Strawbridge (KINGS) on drums.
The video lasts for about 10 minutes and it is a full exploration of the quartet’s range in jazz sounds. Owens owns his sax lines, and Harris hammers away at a precise chaos that is quite familiar in the piano sounds of their style. Randazzo watches diligently for all the cues that Owens and Strawbridge lay out. Much of jazz revolves around improvisation, but this conductor-less ensemble relies on each other at a fundamental level.
“Everyone has certain songs that help them through hard times, and these songs did just that for me,” Owens said about As One via Bandcamp. “’Losing Victory’ was written while in my mid 20s for my now wonderful wife of almost 15 years, Vijay. I love you Vijay!”
The video was filmed by Craig Zirpolo, Daniel Bagbey, Gabrielle Silvers and Joey Wharton at American Paradox Records, with audio by Scott Lane (The Congress) and edited by Daniel Bagbey.
Charles Owens has no upcoming performance dates listed on his website, but did get to perform with the Roots at the recent “Concert For Charlottesville” at UVA’s Scott Stadium. Keep an eye on his facebook for upcoming dates.
