‘An outlet for the next generation’: Funk band D’DAT blends indigenous beats with jazz, hip hop

Editor’s note: This event was canceled Monday by the B Street Theatre due to unforeseen circumstances.

In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, The Sofia will be hosting a concert next month for New Mexico-based fusion funk band D’DAT, a group known for melding indigenous melodies with jazz standards and rapid-fire spoken word to create a genre-bending musical sound.

“We’ve heard from people, ‘It’s the first show we could attend as a family,’ “ said the band’s trumpet player and composer Delbert Anderson. “Older folks appreciate the jazz, young folks appreciate the rap aspect. ... We have something in there for every person in our audience.”

The band unapologetically embraces its members’ cultural roots: D’DAT is made up of members from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and the Diné (Navajo) tribe, as well as a band mate who is of indigenous Peruvian descent.

The lyrics of “Attention,” for example, highlight the vital work of Navajo code talkers during World War II while wrestling with tragedy of violence and bloodshed. NPR in 2016 described their song “Roadrunner” as evidence that “these artists ... share a forward-thinking restlessness and a refusal to be parceled into neat boxes.”

When the band first formed in 2013 as the Delbert Anderson Trio, it focused on jazz standards, but “that only lasted a few days.” Hoping to create a more unique sound, Anderson started digging into his own background, studying up on early Native American music and reaching out to elders to learn “how music sounded when they were young.”

Anderson became enamored with spinning songs, a kind of genre of Diné music that are traditionally meant to teach children social skills and manners like how to treat one another.

The songs include classic Diné musical elements like drums and chants, but unlike more traditional ceremonial songs, spinning songs are meant to be creatively altered and improvised, and can be shared with people outside the tribe — “an outlet for the next generation to create their own songs,” Anderson said.

“I would listen to any type of spinning song, maybe something on how we thank one another, and would pull from the essence or main sound coming from the tune,” he said.

Collaborating with Albuquerque rapper Christopher Bidtah, better known as Def-i, to provide the rapid-fire lyrics, D’DAT was born.

The band has since parted ways with Def-i as he persues a solo career, but recently welcomed James Pakootas as their lead vocalist this past spring. Drummer Nicholas Lucero and Mike McCluhan on bass round out the band.

“Some songs sound more native, others are more hip hop heavy,” Anderson said, “but that’s sort of what makes our sound so unique since we spend time curating that balance.”

This story was originally published October 29, 2021 at 5:00 AM.