It’s wonderful to see the venerable Blue Note records going back to its roots and bringing to the fore promising young musicians. Here are a couple trumpet players that are making waves.
Ambrose Akinmusire has been getting a lot of press lately, and he’s got a sensitive tone to his horn that is alluring. Don’t look for extroverted chops like Morgan or Hubbard; this guy’s more on the cerebral side on this session with Walter Smith/ts, Sam Harris/p, Charles Altura/g, Harish Raghavan/b, Justin Brown/dr and an occasional string section. A couple pieces, such as the duet with Harris on “Marie Christie” or the poem reading with Muna Blake on “Rollcall for Tnose Absent” rise barely above a whisper. “As We Fight (Willie Pen rose)” and “Vartha” are gently lyrical and almost meandering pieces in the jazz vein, and Akinmusire’s fragile horn sounds ready to collapse, yet never does, and the tension is riveting. Strings frame tunes like “The Beauty of Disssolving Portraits” which include Elena Pinderhughes’ agile flute, while the 16+ minute “Richard (conduit)” is a bit of a free form conversation that evolves into a quiet avalanche. Thoughtful.
On the other side of the spectrum, trumpeter Takuya Kuroda gets brassy and funky with Corey King/tb, Kris Bowers/key, Solomon/b-synth, and Nate Smith/dr-perc on a collection of crisp and almost danceable pieces. An urban R&B feel permeates the music, almost as if Kuroda was trying to give a trumpeters response to Robert Glasper’s Experiment. Songs like “Rising Son” and “Green and Gold” are infectious, and when Kuroda is the only horn on “Mala”, everything sounds like its 21st Century Hard Bop. Likewise, Jose James’ vocals on “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” has a modern snap, and the team creates crevasse deep grooves on “Call.” Modern and moving.
Blue Note Records