Jyoti

Differing from the funk and hip-hop emphasis that marks much of her output under her given name, Georgia Anne Muldrow’s Jyoti recordings have foregrounded soul-jazz and experimental electronic music, styles she absorbed from an early age. All three albums issued under the Jyoti alias—Ocotea (2010), Denderah (2013), and Mama, You Can Bet! (2020)—have appeared on SomeOthaShip, the independent label run by the Grammy-nominated musician and her partner Dudley Perkins.

Muldrow already possessed an extensive discography when she first presented Jyoti, a name bestowed by family friend Alice Coltrane. Ocotea, released in June 2010, introduced the project with Muldrow serving as sole composer and performer of every element; the following January the album received Jazz Album of the Year at BBC DJ Gilles Peterson’s annual Worldwide Awards. Amid her steady flow of new recordings, Denderah arrived in September 2013 as the second Jyoti album, remaining fully instrumental yet suggesting an avant-jazz beat tape.

Following additional Georgia Anne Muldrow releases that included the Grammy-nominated Overload, Muldrow returned to Jyoti in 2020 with the August release of Mama, You Can Bet!. The album departed from earlier Jyoti practice by including Muldrow’s vocals and contributions from saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin, featured on “Ra’s Noise (Thukumbado).” It also incorporated remixes of two Charles Mingus compositions originally commissioned by Jason Moran and the Kennedy Center.