Trumpeter Sean Jones emphasizes various vocalist friends for his fourth recording as a leader. His previous CDs have leaned toward a more produced pop-oriented approach within a definite modern jazz framework, and this effort leans toward a balance of combining those elements without being overtly commercialized. The first eight cuts all feature the singers, the most effective being rising star Gretchen Parlato. Her beautiful voice levitates Kendrick Scott's ballad composition "Journey," done on his debut CD, receiving a different, less expansive treatment, while the sunny swing waltz "It's Just a Matter of Time" has Parlato and Sachal Vasandani swapping opposing transposed crowded vocal lines. Parlato is special; please pay attention to her in the future. Even more impressive are two spiritualistic pieces, reminiscent of the recent work by pianist Robert Glasper. The opener, "Allison," drips with emotion, informed by the lovely piano playing of Orrin Evans, slight Latin spice, and the wordless vocals of J.D. Walter, while "Esperanto" (not sung in Esperanto) has Carolyn Perteete's siren-song singing, pristine as morning dew. At this point one barely notices the trumpet player, until you hear four consecutive instrumentals. "Say Brah" is a cooking typical neo-bopper, "Blak Music" a less clichéd hard bopper, the title track a more modern near-fusion Fender Rhodes-infused piece, and "The Sluice" revealing Jones as a singsongy Lee Morgan/Freddie Hubbard-influenced Young Lion. The pacing and programming of this recording could have been more effectively revisited; it feels like block formatting. It is another fine, not yet definitive musical effort from Jones, easily a Top Ten rising star of contemporary jazz trumpet. ~ by Michael G. Nastos, AMG.
Mack Avenue, MAC 1037, 2007
Recorded at:
Audible Images, Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania
Avatar Studio, New York, NY
Dirtysoap Studios, New York,
NY
Musicians:
Sean Jones - Trumpet
(#2,4,5,7-13), Flugelhorn (#1,3,6)
Antoine Drye - Trumpet (#5)
Brian Hogans - Alto Sax
(#5,9-12), Flute (#1,7,8), Rhodes (#1)
Walter Smith III - Tenor Sax
(#5,9-12)
Tia Fuller - Flute (#1)
Orrin Evans - Piano
(#1-3,6-10,12), Rhodes (#4,5,11)
Alton Merrill - Keyboards
(#4,13), Organ (#5), Rhodes (#5), Piano (#13)
Luques Curtis - Acoustic Bass
(#2,3,7-13), Bass (#1,6), Percussion (#1)
Mike Boone - Electric Bass
(#4,5)
Obed Calvaire - Drums
(#1-13), Percussion (#1)
Jay Ashby - Percussion (#1)
Gretchen Parlato - Percussion
(#2), Vocals (#2,7,8)
J.D. Walter - Vocals
(#1,3,5), Arranger
Kim Burrell - Vocals (#4,13)
Carolyn Perteete - Vocals
(#6)
Sachal Vasandani - Vocals
(#7,8)
Tracks:
01. Allison {Sean Jones}
(6:48)
02. Journey {Kendrick Scott,
Gretchen Parlato} (5:19)
03. Never Let Me Go {Ray
Evans, Jay Livingston} (4:48)
04. I Come To Thee {Orrin
Evans, Tiffany Jones, Heidi Martin} (6:28)
05. So Wonderful {J.D.
Walter} (5:53)
06. Esperanto {Vince Mendoza,
Kurt Elling} (6:13)
07. It's Just A Matter Of
Time [Intro] {Ron Westray} (0:50)
08. It's Just A Matter Of
Time {Ron Westray} (6:18)
09. Say Brah {Walter Smith
III} (5:56)
10. Blak Music {Brian Hogans}
(6:33)
11. Kaleidoscope {Walter
Smith III} (5:03)
12. The Sluice {Orrin Evans}
(6:40)
13. You're The Reason {Alton
Merrill} (6:34)
Total Time: 73:31
Credits:
Producer, Audio Production -
Al Pryor
Producer, Audio Production,
Vocal Producer - Orrin Evans
Producer, Director, Creative
Services Coordinator - Maria Ehrenreich
Production Assistant,
Production Coordination - Will Wakefield
Audio Production, Engineer,
Audio Engineer, Vocal Producer - Antoine Drye
Audio Engineer, Audio
Production, Engineer, Vocal Producer - Donald Edwards
Audio Engineer, Engineer -
James Farber, Jay Dudt, Dave Stoller, Hollis Greathouse
Audio Engineer, Assistant
Engineer - Anthony Rutolo, Brian Montgomery
Mastering Engineer - Doug
Sax, Sangwook "Sunny" Nam
Photography - Frank Stewart
