Here’ s a guy that is going to impress you. Pianist and composer, Victor Gould has both a gracious sound on his instrument and a clever handle of the pen. The core here is the “classic” sextet of trumpet (Jeremy Pelt), alto sax (Godwin Louis) and tenor sax (Myron Walden) along with a rhythm team of Ben Williams/b on loan from Pat Metheny, EJ Strickland/dr, but there are some guests on reeds, percussion and strings.
The piano and percussion drive hard as the saxes and trumpet gallop on the modal title track” while Walden’s tenor swings easy and Pelt’s horn is gentle on “Room” and “Chance’” respectively. Gould’s touch on the piano is flowing and gracious, as he demonstrates on “The Apostle” which includes strings, and the thoughtful “Blue Dales” which lets the horns sit out but Pedrito Martinez’s percussion sit in. The rhythm team shows it’s muscle on the sole cover, with a backbeat on the sweet spot for Wayne Shorter’s “Nefertiti” while “Three Souls” have the band deliver a Latin lilt with style. This guy’s gonna make some waves, and this is an excellent opening ripple.
Fresh Sound New Talent