Label: Blue Note Records, 2023
Personnel - Walter Smith III: tenor saxophone; Reuben Rogers: bass; Kendrick Scott: drums.
For his fifth outing, American drummer/composer Kendrick Scott embraces the trio format for the first time as a leader with the bright assistance of saxophonist Walter Smith III (Ambrose Akinmusire, Terence Blanchard), and bassist Reuben Rogers (Charles Lloyd, Joshua Redman). The album, titled Corridors, is exclusively made of Scott originals (composed during lockdown) with the exception of “Isn’t This My Sound Around Me?” by the great late vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson. This piece, displaying shambling yet elegant brushwork at the take off, balances a finely composed theme with an extrovert swinging posture during the soloists’ digressions. Scott and Rogers pull the needlepoint together nicely.
Still and all, the disc kicks off with the impressive “What Day is It?”, whose theme flourishes with a classy bass groove, nervous cymbal activity, and expedite saxophone melody. A relentless pedal point lives through the improvisations, occasionally slipping into a swinging pulse, with Smith infusing a mix of folk and post-bop flavors in the melodic sequences. The title cut, which starts off with a beautiful bass soliloquy, demonstrates the scope of Scott’s open-minded musicality by employing a pensive charm and genuine simplicity. Smith bores into conversational phrasing by pouring transparent ideas with excellent technique and taste.
“One Door Closes” and “Another Opens” are less-than-a-minute vignettes expressed with fittingly layered saxophone and impeccable bass/drums cooperation, respectively. The titles are concatenated on “One Door Closes, Another Opens”, which, marrying melodic and textural material with emotional heft, has a soulful croon reinforcing the proceedings. This number pays tribute to the ones who died and were born during the pandemic.
The album concludes with the stirring “Threshold”, a twisted blues whose plain-spoken motivic theme leaves a groovy thang in the air. The dynamics are on high, and the lush licks recall John Coltrane and Kenny Garrett.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - What Days is It? ► 02 - Corridors ► 09 - Threshold