One of the most welcome events the past year has been Blue Note legendary drummer Joe Chambers returning to his 1960s home label, and he’s back with a vengeance. This time around, he’s with Andres Vial-Richard Germanson/p, Ira Coleman-Mark Leweandowski/b, Marvin Carter-Caoilainn Power/sax, and the addition of percolation from Michael Davidson/vib and Elli Miller Maboungou-Emilio Valdes Cortes/perc. The result is a seductive avalanche of galloping grooves and alluring lyricism.
The drums and vibes gallop like a migration on the Serengetti on “Gazelle Suite” and clip clop under the shadowy alto sax on “City Of Saints” . The vibes are mystical as they resonate with the urgent ivories on “Caravanserai” and the horns dig deep as the ride the white waters of the title tune. Piano and vibes glisten to the lunar “Moon Dancer” and the team gets modal on the stampede of “Power To The People”. This is Blue Note’s most exciting release of the year.