Ron Carter Esperanza Spalding - Downbeat

Jazz | By Jon Ross
Brass In The
Pocket
Nick Roseboro’s Passageway (Truth Revolution
Records 004; 53:12 HHH) starts with a
fluttery passage, not a florid set of notes, but
an a cappella trumpet voice; raw and exposed,
Roseboro’s sound is close to cracking, but
never quite breaks down. This bare, exposed
and earthy trumpet sound also starts off “Aspects,”
the second track on the album, setting
up the tune as not a dynamic display of trumpet
wizardry, but an exhibit of unbridled emotion.
Roseboro is capable of fancy trumpet
licks and roller-coaster runs, but for most of the
disc, he lays back, emoting through his horn.
Ordering info: nickroseboro.com
Philip Dizack enlisted a string quartet and
two separate trios packed with masterful accompanists
for End Of An Era (Truth Revolution
Records 006; 46:46 HHH1/2). For Dizack,
everything seems deliberate and methodical.
After an arpeggiated intro by pianist Aaron
Parks on the opening number, the tune moves
into atmospheric string swells. Tenor saxophonist
Jake Saslow adds a few moving lines
under Dizack’s melody, which is propped up
by the strings. “Grow,” a jerky, stop-time melody,
fueled by Rhodes, offers a nice contrast
between Dizack’s two trumpet styles—tenacious
and sensual.
Ordering info: philipdizack.com
Many of the 12 tunes on Marquis Hill’s
Sounds Of The City (Self Release; 61:06
HHH) have Hill front and center on flugelhorn
or trumpet. But Hill doesn’t mind relinquishing
the spotlight. On “Clearfield’s,” Hill and the excellent
alto saxophonist Christopher McBride
take a back seat to what becomes a twominute
piano solo. Later, “Like Lee” takes this
same approach with a breezy, snappy melody
that sounds a bit like the ending credits music
for a game show. Hill is back on the swinging
swagger of “Inner City Blues,” taking a vertiginous
solo. Benny Golson’s “Stablemates”
closes the packed disc, which shows Hill’s
range as a composer and inventiveness as a
player, but most of all, his unselfishness.
Ordering info: marquishill.com
After the noisy release of the raucous,
and a bit silly, “Dwayne’s Brain,” the opening
number on Partyka Brass’ The Day After
Christmas (Mons Records 874533; 73:28
HHHH), the sometimes solemn, classically
based tunes on the rest of the recording seem
a bit muted. But the reserved nature of beautifully
arranged tracks next to thundering displays
of ensemble firepower is engaging and
thoughtful. The band, led by bass trombonist/tuba
player Ed Partyka, is a continuation
of the work he began with Carla Bley on her
2009 album Carla’s Christmas Carols. Though
Partyka’s title invokes the holidays, this set of
James Morrison
tunes isn’t tied to any specific season. At different
times mournful, celebratory, introspective
and tongue-in-cheek—the fanfare-like “Little
Late Song,” the rhythmic, pulsing “Circular Ruins”—this
collection is an enjoyable combination
of choral-like classical brass and jazz.
Ordering info: monsrecords.de
Steppin Back (Self Release; 68:37 HHH),
by Joel Behrman, ends with a letter to Louis
Armstrong in the form of “The Faithful Hussar.”
Here, Behrman is in full anachronistic mode,
setting his modern jazz aesthetic aside, focusing
on swing. Behrman has a bright, shining
trumpet voice, with soaring long tones set off
by a bit of wispy vibrato; his double-time solos
have little ornamentation aside from the occasional
trumpet peal. His range is wide enough
that he can reach explosive high notes and still
go down to the lower reaches of his horn. This
is on display on his three-part Justice Suite in
the middle of the disc. Each head-solo-head
track can stand on its own, but together, they
show that Behrman can expand his idea of
the standard jazz tune even as he looks to his
forebears.
Ordering info: joelbehrman.com
Multi-instrumentalist James Morrison’s
Snappy Too (Self Release; 63:45 HHHH) is
purely a studio album; even though the album’s
charts are played by a big band, only Morrison
and drummer Jeff Hamilton entered the studio.
Through overdubs and studio magic, the two
have created an enjoyable big-band album;
this is a feat Morrison also accomplished more
than two decades ago with bassist Ray Brown
and guitarist Herb Ellis. Morrison is a flashy, ornamental
trumpet player with a smooth tone.
His liquid phrasing flows throughout his entire
stratospheric range, most often punctuated, at
the end of phrases, with a wide, fast shake. DB
Ordering info: jamesmorrison.com
Courtesy james Morrison
DECEMBER 2012 DOWNBEAT 81