TOM HARRELL: Colors of a Dream
HighNote, 2013

MODERN JAZZ – Trumpeter Tom Harrell (Stanford, ’69) tries a new direction here, stepping away from his usual quintet for a sextet session featuring Esperanza Spalding’s vocals… and her bass, making a unique 3 horn / 2 bass / drum / voice configuration. Whether it works comes down to if you think the vocals and second bass enhance or wreck the overall sound. I think it depends on the track, so choose carefully.

Tom Harrell : trumpet, flugelhorn
Jaleel Shaw : alto sax
Wayne Escoffery : tenor sax
Esperanza Spalding : acoustic bass, voice
Ugonna Okegwo : acoustic bass
Jonathan Blake : drums

Fo’s Picks: 1, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11

1. 6:26 – tango rhythm with a marching feel, wordless vocal, 2-bass break
2. 7:02 – Portuguese vocal & scatting; relaxed, thoughtful Brazilian feel
3. 6:19 – upbeat latin-tinged groove, scat vocal pulls it briefly off-axis
4. 5:07 – upbeat drive: vocal/horn unison makes a cool texture, neat solos
5. 3:19 – relaxed ballad, wordless vocal shadows horns, engaging trumpet
6. 9:01 – midtempo odd-bop: muddy twin bass mess, but horn solos are solid
7. 5:17 – uptempo with “la-la” vocalese/scat, prodding rhythm, playful solos
8. 4:58 – upbeat funky strut: fun scatting vocal holds its own vs trumpet
9. 6:44 – shifting tempo and two basses keep this walking bop off balance
10. 4:18 – just the 2 basses & trumpet; it’s relaxed, friendly and unique
11. 6:26 – uptempo funky drive with scat vocal, horn solos thrust forward

[ Fo ] - 5 January 2014