Label: Outside in Music, 2021
Personnel - Sam Blakeslee: trombone; Chris Cole: saxophone, electronics; Brandon Coleman: guitar; Matt Wiles: bass.
New York-based trombonist/composer Sam Blakeslee, a native of Ohio, presents a fittingly serene debut album with his drummer-less trio Wistful Thinking plus one. Blakeslee, a member of Dan Pugach Nonet and Remy LeBoeuf’s Assembly of Shadows, among other groups, showcases seven originals and an intriguing reading of an Appalachian folk song, enjoying the company of saxophonist Chris Coles in the frontline, and relying on Ohioan associates - guitarist Brandon Coleman and bassist Matt Wiles - to stitch everything together with their well-hinged actions.
Most of the gentle subtleties found in The Long Middle stemmed from the sense of social and physical isolation that affected the world last year. The title track, the last piece composed for this record, transpires relaxation in the radiant melody, emulating the slow passage of time during the pandemic. The clear feelings conveyed here oppose to the ambiguity offered with the atmospheric “Bygones Are Bygones” and the folk-drenched “Shady Grove”, an Appalachian song transfigured by a strange enchantment and exposing an enjoyable balance between light and dark tonalities.
Both the slow-burner “Ashokan” and the dreamy “Approaching Closure” channel the refined musical attributes of trumpeter Kenny Wheeler in their tranquility. The former takes well-rounded waltzing steps and includes empathetic statements from guitar, saxophone and trombone, while the latter builds a chimeric idealism before entering the polyphonic segment that poses in the main theme.
“Bob”, a nod to the late influential trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, swings tastefully with a well-honed arrangement that shows Blakeslee’s melodic sense at its best. The compelling interplay between bass and guitar illuminates the scenario, also becoming pivotal on the casual “Franklin’s Blues”, a blues-meets-post-bop delivered with grace and loose elasticity.
Using his competence to envelop us in his impressionistic sound cloud, Blakeslee is a name to keep in mind. The Long Middle represents another stop on the road to soaring post-bop.
Grade B+
Favorite Tracks:
01 - The Long Middle ► 06 - Bob ► 07 - Shady Grove