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RamonaBorthwickOne Of UsLETIMOTIF 002AAA 1 /2I begin on a petty noteof impatience beforeproceeding to the highersubstantive groundof this generally fineCD. It is this: Must allmusic be about something?Must every CD,especially when instrumental, become a conceptalbum? It seems almost obligatory todaythat an album must attach itself to some higher,more noble mission in order to justify what, infact, needs no programmatic pretext at all. Towit, the skillfully sculpted, abstract contoursthat Ramona Borthwick has crafted here areoffered, by rather arbitrary fiat, as a paean to thelarger and fashionable concerns of ecology—topay “homage to our wonderful planet, recognizing… that we bear the responsibility to be protectorsof Earth’s bounties.” Fine. Except thereis really nothing in this music that would otherwiselead us to infer in it a homily to the earth’swonders.What it does offer is 10 original titles thatcombine the well-tempered fundamentals ofcontemporary hardbop with splashes ofNew Age spiritualism,all framedwithin carefullyassembled structures.The bop feelis provided by theclean and cool precisionof IngridJensen, whose trumpetand flugelhornseem a logicaldescendent from the’50s lyricism of Miles Davis and especially ArtFarmer. She navigates her solo courses with hertypical poise and aplomb and proves herself asuperb partner in the often refined ensemblebalances.Borthwick, who authored all the pieces inthis self-produced and self-released CD, walksboth sides of the street, playing excellent, if notquite distinctive, straightahead piano throughout,while adding her shimmering, wordlesssoprano lines to selected ensembles along theway. She does this sparingly, sometimes subtlety,and frequently hauntingly, never scatting orsoloing but instead embedding and camouflagingherself deep into meticulously orchestratedunison lines in which her voice seems to floaton piano, guitar (“Listening To Love”) and horn(“Gaia”). Sometimes the blends make hersound overdubbed on herself. You can’t alwaysbe sure. The craft is impressive in any case.The first track, “Who’s Your Mama,” willmake any listener of NPR’s “All ThingsConsidered” feel right at home. The program’slittle eight-note signature scale forms the piece’smain theme. (Film buffs may also note that itfigured prominently in the 1944 FredMacMurray comedy Murder, He Says.) It alsointroduces the other main solos voices, especiallyguitarist Noel Borthwick, who swings hardwith the best of them and shows us where he’scoming from with a fleeting quote from “SaltPeanuts.” He and the leader fit one anotherhand-in-glove throughout.For a work intended to be personal and perhapsintrospective, the music is unusually alive,frisky and free from brooding pensiveness. Onthe other hand, the all-original program requirestime to absorb and make friends with. The titletrack, strictly piano and rhythm, is the most selfconsciouslyromantic piece, and perhaps atouch florid.—John McDonoughOne Of Us: Who’s Your Mama; Chinese Whispers; ListeningTo Love; One Of Us; Resident Alien; Gaia; Eight Winds; GardenOf The Gods; Retro Speak; Rio Alegre. (70:12)Personnel: Ramona Borthwick, piano, voice; Ingrid Jensen,trumpet, flugelhorn; Noel Borthwick, guitar; JohannesWeidenmuller, bass; Adam, Cruz, drums.»Ordering info: ramonaborthwick.comDon Braden/Mark RappThe Strayhorn ProjectPREMIUM MUSIC SOLUTIONS 1400AAA 1 /2Tenor saxophone veteran Don Braden andtrumpet up-and-comer Mark Rapp take a creative,freewheeling approach to BillyStrayhorn’s enchanting compositions here, withthe accent on lively group interplay, rich textures,spiky rhythms and some funky strutting.The inclusion of three vocals by SachalVasandani suggests the relaxed feeling of a liveclub set, which some listeners may find distracting,though I enjoyed hearing Strayhorn’ssophisticated lyrics as part of the package. I’mnot crazy about some of the musical turns theband takes, but there’s no arguing this albumtranscends run of the mill “tribute projects” by awide margin.The band steps out first with a crisp, doubleclutching,New Orleans-tinged version of “RainCheck” that puts one in the mind of Blood,Sweat and Tears. When the band chops “JohnnyCome Lately” into pieces then tosses them backtogether with gleeful elan, Braden’s allusion toMonk’s “Nutty” in his solo fits the mood perfectly.The deconstruction of the ballad“Isfahan” is less attractive—gratuitous, even—as that slinky and mysterious melody tumblesout so fast it loses its charm. Modern big bandwriting comes to mind again, but of thepyrotechnical sort that, in its desire to do somethingflashy, loses sight of the beauty of thematerial.The hoary lounge classic “Satin Doll” gets acelebratory makeover, with cool new chords,and Braden sounds easy with the material,swinging and soulful. Young pianist GeraldClayton provides a churning backdrop underBraden and offers one of his best solos, shapelyat the same time it is explosive and eruptive. Hisplaying is very strong throughout, and his giveand-takeinterludes with the horns keep the formatcharged. Rapp’s scoops to high notes andsoldierly, intentional focus show the influence ofWynton Marsalis.On ballads, Braden shimmers coolly on altoflute as the rhythm section pushes a HerbieHancock-like pulse under a lushly wovenarrangement of “A Flower Is A LovesomeThing.” Of the ballads sung by Vasandani,whose plain but pathos-packed style works wellon this material, “Something To Live For” isespecially effective, drawing attention toStrayhorn’s deft use of internal rhymes.“Daydream” delivers the listener directly intothe musing spirit of the song; the tender waltz“Pretty Girl (Star Crossed Lovers)” renews therhythmic vitality characteristic of the album as awhole. But Clayton’s “Chelsea Bridge” feelsparenthetical, at best, and the seldom-played“Lament For Javanette,” a Barney Bigard clarinetfeature from the old Ellington book, wasn’tvery interesting to start with. It comes off asgeneric Iberianism.I have a feeling a lot of cuts from thisthoughtfully crafted disc are going to turn up onradio, and they should. But as an album, itdoesn’t completely cohere. —Paul de BarrosThe Strayhorn Project: Rain Check; Isfahan; A Flower Is ALovesome Thing; Something To Live For; Satin Doll; Daydream;Johnny Come Lately; Lament For Javanette; Chelsea Bridge;Pretty Girl/Star Crossed Lovers. (51:03)Personnel: Don Braden, tenor saxophone, flute, alto flute; MarkRapp, trumpet; Sachal Vasandani, vocal (4, 6, 10); GeraldClayton, piano; Rene Hart, bass; Greg Gonzalez, drums.»Ordering info: premiummusicsolutions.com52 DOWNBEAT May 2010