Ray Brown: Some Of My Best Friends Are...The Trumpet Players (2000)

This is the fourth in a series of CDs that has had the great bassist hosting distinguished guests: singers, pianists, and saxophonists. Now it's time for six trumpeters, covering several generations, from the veteran Clark Terry to Nicholas Payton, 26 at the time of recording, but there's no incompatibility between their individual meetings with Brown's smoothly swinging, energetic trio. With pianist Geoff Keezer and new drummer Karriem Riggins, Brown's band at times suggests the Oscar Peterson trio (whose bassist was Brown).

As for the trumpeters, each gets two opportunities with the trio. Clark Terry is puckishly witty on "Itty Bitty Blues" and does a nice job of alternating muted trumpet and flugelhorn on "Clark's Tune." His muffled, personal sound is an effective contrast to generally brassy attacks, but Roy Hargrove, too, shows fitting restraint on his exposition of "Stairway to the Stars." No one's brassier than Jon Faddis, who even plays muted slow blues with unlikely force on "Bags' Groove," then swaggers in his upper register on "Original Jones." Hargrove and Payton acquit themselves admirably on the boppish "Our Delight" and "The Kicker," respectively. Terence Blanchard takes "Getting Sentimental over You" at an unlikely clip, showcasing the trio as well as his own sparkling chops. His concluding "Goodbye" may be the best ballad performance in a good assortment, though Payton's "Violets for Your Furs" is eloquent and moving.

There's a real surprise here in the lesser-known Australian, James Morrison. His brash sound on "I Thought About You" evokes memories of swing-era greats, while Morrison double-times and bounces around the horn with Dizzy-like abandon on Brown's otherwise subdued "When You Go." --Stuart Broomer

Tracklist:

1. Our Delight
2. Bag's Groove
3. I Thought About You
4. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
5. Violets For Your Furs
6. Itty Bitty Blues
7. Stairway To The Stars
8. Original Jones
9. When You Go
10. The Kicker
11. Clark's Tune (Legacy)
12. Goodbye

Personnel: Clark Terry, James Morrison, Jon Faddis, Nicholas Payton, Roy Hargrove, Terence Blanchard (trumpet); Geoff Keezer (piano); Karriem Riggins (drums).

Some of My Best Friends Are the Trumpet Players

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Terence Blanchard: Bounce (2003)

The timing could not be better for Terrence Blanchard's Blue Note debut release, Bounce. At age 41, Terence Blanchard joins fellow label mates and friends who, like him, have matured into modern standard-bearers, each with their own take on jazz tradition and their own particular interests. With Bounce, Blanchard convenes a diverse group of talented young musicians, all of whom help highlight the many facets of his musical vision.

The music on Bounce doesn't stay in one place, and it exemplifies Blanchard's style, which prompted People Magazine to comment: "Blanchard's virtues spring from his sense of restraint. The joy is in the tease!"

Blanchard has had successes in film music, orchestras and education, and of course as a jazz musician and bandleader. "Nothing can beat being a jazz musician, playing a club, playing a concert," he says. "When I stood next to Sonny Rollins at Carnegie Hall and listened to him play, that was it for me."

Tracklist:

1 On the Verge Parks [8:43]

2 Passionate Courage Blanchard [6:32]
3 Fred Brown Blanchard [7:42]
4 Nocturna Lins, Llns, Martins [7:33]
5 Azania Blanchard [6:04]
6 Footprints Shorter [7:31]
7 Transform Harland [9:00]
8 Innocence Owens [7:23]
9 Bounce/Let's Go Off Blanchard, Harrison [7:06]

Personnel: Terence Blanchard- Trumpet; Brice Winston: Tenor & Soprano Saxophone; Lionel Loueke: Guitar & Vocals; Robert Glasper: Hammond -3 & Fender Rhodes; Aaron Parks: Piano; Brandon Owens: Bass; Eric Harland: Drums

Bounce

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Terri Lyne Carrington: Jazz is a Spirit (2002)

In the male-dominated jazz genre, this veteran drummer has been happily accepted as one of the guys and has forged a strong touring career (Al Jarreau, David Sanborn) as she has, on her solo projects, pushed the improvisational and conceptual boundaries. This free-spirited recording emerges from the fun of bebop and traditional jazz balladry into the more challenging realm of tribal rhythms and global-mindedness a wacky journey to be sure, but true to her heart of wanderlust and her contention that, indeed, jazz can only be defined as a spirit. She opens with a weird, mystical ambience behind Cosby Show kid Malcolm Jamal Warner's spoken-word definition, then jams in a live setting with longtime associates like Herbie Hancock, Terence Blanchard, and Paul Bollenback (guitar) on tunes that range from the avant-garde ("Little Jump") to the smoky and romantic ("Samsara," a thoughtful tribute to Wayne Shorter). Throwing off the shackles, she does a long tribal drum roll piece and opens the door for a "Journey East From West" with Kevin Eubanks. "Journey of Now" combines the best of all worlds, with Wallace Roney's traditional trumpet, Jeff Richman's fusion guitar edges, and an irrepressible percussive tribalism. The remaining tracks are a balance between measured craziness and gentle tradition, with a bit of advice offered to Terri Lyne Carrington as she plays before the spoken words of Papa Jo Jones on "Mr. Jo Jones." Innovative yet sometimes maddening, this is above all else her truest heart.

Tracklist:
01. Jazz Is
02. Little Jump
03. The Corner
04. Lost Star
05. Samsara (for Wayne)
06. Journey Agent
07. Journey East from West
08. Journey of Now
09. Giggles
10. Middle Way
11. Princess
12. Witch Hunt
13. Mr. Jo Jones
14. Jazz is a Spirit
Personnel:
Terri Lyne Carrington - drums
Herbie Hancock - piano
Greg Kurstin - piano
Gary Thomas - saxophones
Wallace Roney - trumpet
Terence Blanchard - trumpet
Kevin Eubanks - guitar
Paul Bollenback - guitar
Jeff Richman - guitar
Danny Robinson - guitar
Bob Hurst - bass
Malcolm-Jamal Warner - bass & spoken word
Katisse Buckingham - soprano saxophone
Ed Barguiarena - percussion
Darryl “Munyungo” Jackson - percussion
Jazz Is a Spirit
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