When I first heard Jeremy Pelt perform back in 2002, I ran into Bobby Shew at the same gig. He said that he hadn’t heard a horn player with such clarity in years and had to hear him in person what he’d heard on records. Since that auspicious debut, Pelt has made albums of impressive hard bop, electronic funk and dashes of hip hop. This latest album, a trio outing with pianist George Cables and bassist Peter Washington, takes Pelt to his early days and his greatest strength-his gorgeous tone, tender vibrato and resolute lyricism. The nine standards display a patience of playing, respect of the melody and confidence in one’s own sound that can only be performed by a master. Pelt is such a man.
On muted trumpet he is gentle and warm with sublime support during “ Always On My Mind” and the delicate “I’ve Just Seen Her”. Cables’ rich chords supply a pilaf of sound for Pelt’s open horn on “Then I’ll Be Tired Of You” and the gentle “Little Girl Blue”. Even more delectable are the duets, with Pelt entering Washington’s soliloquy of “ Absolutely” with the subtlety of a sunrise. Teaming with Cables, “I’ll Never Stop Loving You” is relaxed and assuring while the pianist lurks through an intro to “Ebony Moonbeams” that hovers like a mist for Pelt’s brass to shine through. This is one you will savor for quite awhile. Even better is the fact that this is labeled as “Volume 1”. What could he do for an encore?!?