Label: Origin Records, 2024
Personnel - Anthony Branker: composer, musical direction; Donny McCaslin: tenor and soprano saxophone; Philip Dizack: trumpet; Fabian Almazan: piano; Linda May Han Oh: bass; Rudy Royston: drums; Pete McCann: guitar; Aubrey Johnson: vocals.
With Songs My Mother Liked, his second outing with his group Imagine, American composer and arranger Anthony Branker pays homage to his 88-year-old mother, whose health has been declining with dementia. To do this, he selected a few vibrant compositions from his repertoire, previously recorded with his projects Ascent and Word Play, and added three fresh new pieces for a total of 12 tracks. The exceptional band features some of the best improvisers and bandleaders out there, proving to have an entity unto itself while executing a taut, seriously written set of music played with downright fun.
The album opens with “Praise”, a magnificent post-bop venture that spirals with enormous energy. The parallel lines shared by saxophonist Donny McCaslin and trumpeter Philip Dizack generate cohesion, but the men in the frontline occasionally split for momentary polyphony. McCaslin delivers an incandescent solo with delicious outside slips, while Dizack reveals intelligence and range in his cerebral dissertation. It all ends in a vamp, before stepping into “Sketches of Selim”, anchored by a groove-laden bass figure and including passages that combine elegant waltz and propulsive swing.
“The Holy Innocent” was written for Branker’s late daughter Kassandra, while “Three Giants”, inspired by a Nigerian mother who lost her three children in a plane crash, has vocalist Aubrey Johnson contributing to its dramatic and touching expression. “Imani (Faith)”, motivated by Branker’s mother’s unshakable faith, is assembled in a piano-less format with McCaslin at the fore, supported by the propulsive funk waves of bassist Linda May Han Oh and drummer Rudy Royston.
“Crystal Angel” denotes a pungent quality, featuring thrilling solos from tenor and trumpet, while the muscular “The House of the Brotherhood of Black Heads” carries an inherent Latin vibe in support of outgoing solos by Dizack, pianist Fabian Almazan, and McCaslin.
The last three pieces on the album were previously unrecorded: “When We Said Goodbye”, a solid vehicle for the guitar skills of Pete McCann, embracing a more earthly pop/rock realm; “To Be Touched (By the Holy Spirit)”, an infectious modal jazz exercise that advances with an uptempo ternary flow; and “If”, a pop music-influenced number based on a melody composed by Branker’s daughter at age 11.
This date, working well for both close and casual listening, comes packed with seamless transitions and dazzling improvisations within the first-class arrangements.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Praise ► 08 - Imani (Faith) ► 11 - To Be Touched (By the Holy Spirit)