AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE: When the Heart Emerges Glistening
Blue Note, 2011

MODERN JAZZ – Originally from Oakland, Ambrose Akinmusire is an in-demand trumpeter who at 28 is establishing himself at the vanguard of the new generation of creative players. His major label debut should help that reputation, showing off both his unique horn style – which alternates soulful melodicism, soft murmurs and sudden, braying leaps – and his gripping compositions, which are painted in deep, saturated colors. His excellent young band features fellow rising star Gerald Clayton on piano.

Ambrose Akinmusire : trumpet, celeste, voice
Walter Smith III : tenor sax
Gerald Clayton : piano
Harish Raghavan : bass
Justin Brown : drums

Jason Moran : piano, keyboard (4, 12)

Fo’s Picks: 1, 2, 4, 6, 10, 11

1. 8:36 – midtempo groove: pensive melody reaches forth; searching solos
2. 5:28 – rumbling rhythm & cool piano lead the way, then dense interplay w/horns
3. 0:49 – solo bass intro to #4
4. 5:21 – slow and dark, but sways with a romantic air: nicely interwoven solos
5. 1:57 – a thick stew of trumpet, bass & drums, all in tight orbits
6. 6:53 – relaxed tempo: appealing but elusive tune, slipping & surging forward
7. 4:36 – very slow trumpet/piano duet, a melancholy sound, lovingly explored
8. 1:10 – very soft interlude, piano & celeste
9. 3:49 – solo drums + spoken word (about the Oscar Grant BART shooting)
10. 5:29 – angular, with rolling/tumbling rhythm: insistent horn solos, oblique piano
11. 3:04 – standard, strolling duet for saloon piano & churning trumpet
12. 4:56 – slow, swelling waves of heartache, led by Jason Moran on piano
13. 1:36 – sweet, rich-toned trumpet/piano ending, hangs in mid-air

[ Fo ] 04/02/11