Need an antidote for all of the negativity in the news, as well as some acoustic relief during the COVID lockdown? This album by bassist/composer Terry Jahz Lewis needs to be played from start to completion about 3 times a day, and I guarantee after a week you’ll be in a better mood, especially if you replace the evening’s new with it.
Lewis lays down some hip bass lines with his core team of Jeremy Ledbetter/key, Mark Kelso/dr, Coleen Allen/as-fl, Alexis Baro/tp, Derek Thorne-Luis Orbegoso/perc and Pat Blanchard/tb, on their own as an irresistible instrumental team and as a superb backup for the rotating team of vocalists. On their own, they gallop on “Fort James Sunset” with Allen’s alto floating like a cirrus cloud and Baro blows heat like Lee Morgan over Lewis’ nifty Latin line on “Fore-Day”.
Things really get exciting when the singers enter stage left; producer/keyboardist Ledbetter delivers a gorgeous intro as he hands off the romantic torch to the honey’d voice of Robert Ball on “Love’s All” while Ball and Allen are as smooth as silk on “Mon Amour”. Joanna Majoko coos like McCoo over Marito Marques’ African percussion on the sensuously exotic “Love Is Cool” and oozes around the conversant bass and piano on a seductive “Romance Me”. Wondrous story telling by Allen creates fragrant atmosphere’s with Allen’s flute on the gentle “Imagination” and she longboards over Lewis wave on the enticingly alluring “Love Transcends”.
The mood, lyrics and atmosphere throughout the album are all upbeat and encouraging, making it apt for the album to end with a Caribbean street fest complete with Joy Lapps-Lewis’ contributions on “Pan Yard (All Night Long)” complete with vocal chorus and lead drawing you into the line dance. Lewis blows away all the blues on this one, cleaning out your system like a flush out of your radiator. You’re good for another 5,000 miles!
https://ditto.fm/rise-up-universe
https://ditto.fm/rise-up-universe