I love 50s, 60s, and 70s jazz, but I struggle to find new jazz I can get into. I had high hopes for this album but ultimately didn’t like it much.
Still, Your Queen Is a Reptile has its moments. “My Queen is Anna Julia Cooper” is incredible. “My Queen is Nanny of the Maroons” is also good. But most of the songs don’t work for me. I couldn’t even get through “My Queen is Angela Davis”; it made me anxious.
I don’t like any vocals with jazz, and the ones on this record are particularly distracting.
The one thing that kills this record for me is the tuba. I didn’t realize how strongly I feel about tuba. There is just way too much tuba. A little tuba goes a long way. It’s like making a soup with nothing but bay leaves.
This record without vocals and tuba might be all right; as it is, I don’t expect to revisit it.