Here’s a guy I’ve never heard of before, but he sure knows how to put an album together. Bassist John Brown collects a Decalogue of tunes from a wide variety of composers, ranging from James Taylor to Elvin Jones (have those two EVER been in the same sentence before?!?) but all of the music linked by a thoughtful and delicate mood. He brings together the simpatico team of Ray Codrington/tp-fh, Brian Miller/sax, Gabe Evens/p and Adonis Rose/dr for some gentle and intimate material. Miller’s alto agonizes on the bluesy “Come Live With Me” and is tender on “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight” along with Evens’ dreamy ivory work. Along with Miller’s dreamy tenor, Brown himself lays down some deep sounds on “You Don’t Know What Love Is” and cozies up to Codrington’s muted trumpet on “A Lullaby of Itsugo Village.” Oscar Peterson’s “When Summer Comes” and Brown’s own title track are fluffy clouds with tender brass work delivered by Codrington, and Evens brings down the house on a pensive take of Theme for Monterey.” This is up there with Coltrane’s Ballads album. Find it!
Brown Boulevard Records