Jeremy Pelt has been playing to his strengths the last couple of years by focusing on muscular hard bop and melding it with colors that include vibes and marimba. For this effort, he leads a team of Victor Gould/p-rhodes, Viente Archer/b, Allan Mednard/dr Ismel Wignall/perc, Chien Chien Lu/vib-mar, Alex Wintz/g and Frank Locarastro/key for a rich and satisfying session.
The album is dominated by a five part “Rodin Suite” which is a rich tapestry that includes Pelt’s lovely horn and Wintz’s pastoral guitar on”L’Appel Aux Armes,” some rich keys on “Dignity and Despair” rich and dark colors for “I Sol Tace” and a soft and dreamy “Epilogue” that has Pelt’s muted horn veering around Archer’s lithe bass.
The team digs a hip groove with Lu bringing in hip vibes for “Ceramic” and the closing “As Of Now” featuring the leader in a gorgeous love paean that floats like a misty morning, while being open and clear on the optimistic “Feito.” Pelt’s brass shines clearly on this one, another strong brick in his formidable catalogue.