Label: Smoke Sessions Records, 2022
Personnel - Steve Turre: trombone, shells; Emilio Modeste: tenor and soprano saxophone; Wallace Roney, Jr.: trumpet; Isaiah Thompson: piano; Corcoran Holt: bass; Orrion Turre: drums. Guests - James Carter: saxophone; Ed Cherry: guitar; Andy Bassford: guitar; Trevor Watkis: keyboards; Buster Williams: double bass; Derrick Barnett: electric bass; Lenny White: drums; Karl Wright: drums; Pedrito Martinez: percussion.
Making the most of a line-up of veteran and young artists, the masterful trombonist Steve Turre remains faithful to his vision of borderless music, delivering ten pieces, which, impeccably rooted in tradition, take us to different places. Special guests contribute to a diverse repertoire filled with spellbinding musical narratives.
Both the opener “Planting the Ceed” and “Pharoah’s Dance” combine Latin pulses with a modal harmonic spirit. The former piece, a tribute to pianist Cedar Walton (Turre’s former bandmate in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers), also swings confidently with hard-bop melodies atop, whereas the latter, homaging the late saxophonist Pharaoh Sanders and the pianist McCoy Tyner, leans more toward the post-bop side.
The venerated groundbreaking pianist Duke Ellington is also praised with the heartrending “Dinner with Duke”, and his influence is equally detected on “Sweet Dreams”, another beautiful ballad that features Buster Williams on bass and a magnificent saxophone solo by James Carter. An Afro-Latin-infused “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” is the sole standard on the album, whereas the blues presents itself as a dedication to the iconic Harlem’s venue Smoke Jazz Club and its associated record label on “Blue Smoke”. The noticeable guest here is guitarist Ed Cherry, most known by his association with trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie in the last phase of the latter's career.
“Don D.” makes another compliment, this time to Jamaican trombonist Don Drummond. The entirety of the song hinges on the reggae pocket created by the ensemble, in a nice arrangement that spotlights the electric bassist Derrick Barnett, guitarist Andy Bassford and keyboardist Trevor Watkis. “Good People” and “Flower Power” are brought to life with ideas that have antecedents in Turre's previous work. The former is amiable and joyful, propelled by Pedrito Martinez’s percussive skills; the latter sets the perfect atmosphere for the known shell playing of the bandleader, here in direct communication with trumpeter Wallace Roney, Jr. The mature drummer Lenny White plays in both pieces.
Generations wraps up with “Resistance”, whose irresistible trotting groove, rhythmic accents, and Latin vibe culminate in a fine soprano solo by Emilio Modeste, a former member of Wallace Roney Quintet. Turre invests each song with pure musicality, using his compositional strengths as an anchor to explore fascinating sonic worlds to which no jazz lover is indifferent.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Planting the Ceed ► 05 Don D. ► 06 - Pharoah’s Dance