Vocalist and composer Jazzmeia Horn takes a sharp upturn in her musical trajectory on this most recent, her third album. Her first was compiled of standards, the second was a bit of a more personal one, but both in small group settings with pianist Victor Gould. This most recent one was so ambitious that she is releasing it on her own label, as it features three, count ‘em , three big musical steps.
The first is her fronting Her Noble Force band, a 15 piece unit centered around her working team of Keith Brown/b, Eric Wheeler/b and Anwar Marshall/dr, but also including a reed team lead by saxist Bruch Williams and chock full of baritone work as on the Afro Cuban “Strive”.
Secondly, she brings in rich poetry in many of the tunes, reciting around the reeds on “I Feel You Near” and the slinky “Let Us Love”. Lastly, there are some pieces such as “Be Pefect” that are Ellingtonian melds of voices that guide and slide you into the main feature, but work wonderfully on their own. Horn slowly undulates with Brown on a brooding “Money Can’t Buy Me Love” and recites deeply during “Judah Rise” while getting down and funky on the boogalooing “Where Is Freedom”. A salute to Sarah Vaughan has her going from charged to restrained on a tightrope walk of “He’s My Guy” while stretching like Turkish Taffy on “Lover Come Back To Me”.
This album is a mix of bold and broad strokes as well as details as minute as scrimshaw. A real work of art!