Here’s a balm of vintage hard bop sounds delivered by pianist and composer Falkner Evans as he leads a stellar team through his Jazz Messenger’d inspired originals.
The team of Matt Wilson/dr, Belden Bullock/b, Ron Horton/tp, Michael Blake/ts, Ted Nash/as and Steve Nelson/vib are up to the task, with Blake’s tenor in a warm mood on the bluesy “Civilization” and Horton bright and brassy on the peppy “Global News” with the leader adding Horace Silver streamings. Falkner’s ivorys chime with Nelson’s vibes on a soulful “Marbles” with the horns gliding over Nelson’s mallets on the suave dance of “Hidden Gem”. The horns cascade on the easy “This From That” with Bullock and Wilson grooving with delight. The charts are clever, the beat hits the back just right and the solos slide through the front line like a laser. Fun forms.