Label: Onyx Productions, 2020
Personnel - Ralph Peterson: drums; Bill Pierce: tenor sax; Jean Touissant: tenor sax; Craig Handy: alto sax; Philip Harper: trumpet; Brian Lynch: trumpet; Steve Davis: trombone; Robin Eubanks: trombone; Joanne Brackeen: piano; Zaccai Curtis: piano; Anthony Wonsey: piano, Fender Rhodes; Kevin Eubanks: guitar; Essiet Essiet: bass; Lonnie Plaxico: bass; Melisaa Slocum: bass; Peter Washington: bass; Reinaldo DeJesus: percussion.
Charismatic drummer Ralph Peterson, an inveterate swinger with a knack for propulsive straight-ahead jazz and more, makes a strong case with his 25th album as a leader, Onward & Upward. With it, he continues to pay homage to the perennial art of late drummer Art Blakey and his quintessential group Jazz Messengers. Featuring a cast of 14 former Jazz Messengers plus three Legacy Messengers, the album consists of 11 tracks, most of them performed in the sextet format, with themes flooded with evocative and blistering unisons.
Peterson’s “Forth and Back” takes us into an immersive post-bop ride with clear melodic curvatures and a majestic rhythm that swings and grooves. The improvisational section is filled with sleek eight-bar exchanges between tenor saxist Jean Toussaint, altoist Craig Handy, who etches part of his discourse with Monk’s insignia, and trumpeter Phillip Harper. All of them benefit from the exquisite accompaniment offered by pianist Joanne Brackeen, who shares the responsibility of the rhythm section here with Peterson and bassist Peter Washington.
The two following pieces were also penned by the drummer. The seductive “Sonora” hits its stride with a colorful Latin feel, while the uptempo “Onward and Upward” is a rhythmic tour de force that swings violently. Solos from trombonist Steve Davis and Harper unfold intuitively over a bouncing pulse, and then it’s Peterson, who, even channelling an enormous appreciation for Blakey’s tradition, infuses his own stuff into his statement. The smoldering accompaniment, with tenacious contributions from bassist Essiet Essiet and pianist Zaccai Curtis, denotes a timeless quality.
Toussaint composed “Waltz for Etienne and Ebony” for his nephew and his wife. Bubbling in waves of blissful ambiance, the piece flows with a laid-back pulse, a sort of call-and-response between the tenorist and the remaining horn players, and Anthony Wonsey’s romantic flourishes on the Fender Rhodes, which gives it a warm textural feel.
Curtis’ “Un Poco Haina” combines post-bop and Latin jazz, resulting in another polyrhythmic pool of power and joy. The exuberant rhythmic euphoria of Latin American is even sturdier on “El Grito”, where the spirited Latin vibe - already a staple of its composer, the trumpeter Bryan Lynch - is buoyed by conguero Renaldo DeJesus’ percussive zest. Lynch, Curtis and trombonist Robin Eubanks are the featured soloists here.
The only piece on the album that has been previously recorded by Blakey is “Sudan Blue”, whose driving, in-the-pocket hard-bop fluidity is very much enjoyed by tenor saxophonist Bill Pierce, who wrote it, and guitarist Kevin Eubanks, with whom he joins forces in the frontline.
This feel-good album honors and respects Blakey’s idiomatic expressions but doesn’t dwell on it. There’s a lot of freshness coming from this new material.
Grade B+
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Forth and Back ► 03 - Onward and Upward ► 06 - Un Poco Haina