Label: Blue Note Records, 2024
Personnel - Joel Ross: vibraphone; Immanuel Wilkins: alto saxophone; Jeremy Corren: piano; Gabrielle Garo: flute (#4,5,6); Kanoa Mendenhall: bass; Jeremy Dutton: drums.
Joel Ross, hailed as one of the most electrifying vibraphonists of the contemporary jazz scene, reunites his Good Vibes band for a captivating new recording mostly centered on blues and ballads, and where he mixes in seven new originals with timeless classics from John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk. This is his fourth album on Blue Note, one confirming that he always finds new things to say regardless the musical context.
The album opens with the magical dawning aura of “Early”, a modal reflection where each note resonates with tender compassion before transitioning into Coltrane’s minor blues “Equinox”. Moved by the slow swing feel of the tune, Ross and altoist Immanuel Wilkins display their quality melodicism throughout their demonstrative solos, with drummer Jeremy Dutton adding nimble-footed expansions in the final segment.
The multi-sectional journey of “Mellowdee” is a ballsy move with graceful unisons, tense crescendos, a breezy post-bop passage where Wilkins and Ross trade off bars, and a meditative reflection containing grim arco bass and pensive piano contemplation. It ends up in a ternary vamp with active snare ruffling and a reiterated saxophone catchphrase that gradually slows down.
The evocative flute of Gabrielle Garo is featured on three pieces, namely: “Chant”, a layered duet with Ross on piano; “What Am I Waiting For?”, where sax, flute, and vibes dance together in perfect communion atop subdued bass accompaniment and soft brushing skins; and “Bach (God the Father in Eternity)”, affably harmonized with classical and gospel influences.
In “Nublues”, Ross explores the essence of blues freedom, his vibraphone cascading with chiming reverberation until reaching a dewy avant-jazz kineticism alongside his bandmates. Their interplay remains unwavering until its conclusion. “Ya Know?” exemplifies another spirited blues delivery with outgoing personality. Swinging beautifully, this selection exhibits the right amount of tension, mostly discharged during the hard-driving solos.
At once dynamic and accessible, the group delves into nuanced straight-ahead jazz on the last two tracks: Monk’s “Evidence”, which flows with disarming manipulations of tempo, and Coltrane’s bemusing 10-bar form ballad “Central Park West”, featuring Wilkins in top form.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Early ► 03 - Mellowdee ► 07 - Nublues