This adventurous musical project is a triumph.
Desafio Candente Records DCR004
Euan Edmonds (trombone); Clark Gibson (alto saxophone); Dustin Laurenzi (tenor saxophone); Paul Bedal (piano); Sam Peters (bass); Neil Hemphill (drums)
Recorded Electrical Audio, Chicago 20-21 December 2022
This is a bold, ambitious musical project, which was conceived, composed, and produced by trombonist Euan Edmonds, who currently resides in the Washington DC area. The work was inspired by the classic 1960s bands of Wayne Shorter and Art Blakey – the band on Blakey’s 1961 album, Mosaic, included Wayne Shorter (tenor sax), Freddie Hubbard (trumpet) and Curtis Fuller (trombone). Edmonds’ line-up is quite novel, with a horn section comprising of trombone, alto sax and tenor sax, combined with a rhythm section of piano, bass and drums.
The music on this album is straight-ahead jazz, and Edmonds clearly has an ear for a strong melody and rich harmonies. His band is a group of talented musicians. The opening number ‘Jordan and Maria’ (named after the lovers in Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom The Bell Tolls) is a near-ten-minute opus which begins with Budd’s delicate piano voicings – at times he seems to be barely touching the keys. This moving solo section barely lasts a minute and this listener would love to hear it played as an extended solo piano piece. Bedal plays a three-note, ascending riff which heralds the arrival of the plangent tones of Clark Gibson’s alto sax.
After a short piano interlude, Neil Hempill lays down a swinging beat and the horn section combines to play sweeping, swirling lines that come together like concentric circles. At the mid-way point, the tempo slows and Edmonds plays a long solo, starting off tentatively and building up to an exciting pitch, with the two saxes doubling up beneath him. Edmonds then makes way for Gibson’s snaking alto solo. The piece ends with a flurry of fast fills from Hempill and the horn section concluding with the theme. It’s a very impressive start to the album.
‘Violet’ is a piece of changing moods and musical landscapes, starting off in a solemn fashion, before the tension and tempo build up to a fever pitch. Laurenzi’s tenor sax and Edmonds’ trombone are the lead instruments on this piece and both play extensive solos. At the coda, there is some fine call-and response between trombone and saxophones.
‘Wayfarer is an upbeat midtempo piece, with bouncing horn lines and tight harmonizing. The album’s centrepiece is the title track, a seven-section suite. The introduction features the keening cry of a saxophone played over wave of crashing cymbals. The suite, ‘Between Hope and Fear’ is a harmonically-rich, midtempo piece in which the tenor sax is the lead instrument. The horns blend seamlessly and drummer Hemphill is busy but never fussy. Bedal comps strongly, and also solos, with blazing runs and twisting lines, ending the track on a high.
The suite’s first interlude is a piano solo, a very pleasing ballad with a spacious sound. The piano solo segues into the next piece, ‘Axis,’ a bluesy ballad that has Edmonds playing muted trombone, accompanied by fluttering sax lines. The piece builds up to a climax, before the band drops out, leaving both saxes to pick up the baton and call out like a preacher man in full flight at a pulpit. The second interlude is a one-and-a-half-minute drum solo which leads into ‘Endurance’, a bright, swinging
number that has trombone, alto sax and piano to the fore. The suite’s final piece, ‘Epilogue’ begins with trombone, followed by alto sax, playing the song’s mournful theme over tumbling drum fills and crashing cymbals.
The album’s final two pieces, each last around eight minutes. ‘Broken Notions’ is an uptempo piece, propelled by Hemphill’s driving beat, which transforms into a bossa-nova-like rhythm. Once again, there is fine interplay between the three horns, and Bedal plays yet another impressive piano solo, combining high keys with rippling lines. The closing number, ‘Arthur’s Seat,’ is a very satisfying piece, played in waltz-time, with Edmond’s trombone and Gibson’s alto sax dominating the lush soundscape. This adventurous musical project is a triumph.
