Trumpeter Sean Jones has carried the Freddie Hubbard-styled trumpet torch throughout his career, mostly in the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra but also with a handful of impressive albums under his own name. This one, with his band of Obed Calvaier-Mark Whitfield Jr/dr, Luques Curtis/b, Orrin Evans/p and Brian Hogans/as-ss in a December, 2015 concert setting, is by far his most muscular and therefore his most satisfying album to date.
He’s got a crystal clear tone, an ability to swagger and play games with dynamics and knows when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em. In a quartet setting, he’s as sweet as apple cider on the 6/8 groover “Art’s Variable” and is able to get down with Evans on an earthy “The Ungentrified Blues” while going classy and glassy during a sublime “BJ’s Tune.” Hogans brings extra umph with his soprano after Curtis’ lean and mean intro during “Lost, Then Found” whereas the two horns get playful like young pups on the intricate and assertive “Doc’s Holiday” and the rapid firing “Prof.” Lots of sparks fly, and the tunes range from concise boppers to stretching out modals. A dream evening for Blue Note lovers.