Trumpeter and composer Curtis Taylor shows his allegiances on the cover of this latest release, looking like a vintage Blue Note release. The sound inside keeps to the promise, as the team of Theron Brown/p-key, Jonathan Muir-Cotton/b, Alex White/dr, David Casaneda/dr and Marcus Elliot/ts send the jazz hard bop message with confidence.
The horns mesh well, with Elliot going for the skies on “Journey” and the two running like stallions on the rapidly paced “Heightened Awareness”. Brown lays out a warm intro for the leader on “Kham’s Dilemma” with Taylor glowing on the aria “For Her”. White gives a “Poinciana”feel for the lithe “After the Rain” and the tam shows great dynamics on “Hashtagged”. Timeless swing.