Otis Brown III - The Thought Of You (2014) {Blue Note}
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© 2014 Blue Note / Revive | B002100202
Jazz / Post Bop / Modern Jazz / Modern Creative
Drummer Otis
Brown III is a well-known, in-demand sideman and the founding drummer in
Joe Lovano's Us Five. The Thought of You, his debut as a leader, was
co-produced with Derrick Hodge. Pianist Robert Glasper, saxophonist John
Ellis, trumpeter Keyon Harrold, and bassist Ben Williams -- the only
one of these men who was not Brown's classmate at the New School for
Jazz and Contemporary Music -- are the core of this lineup. Bilal Oliver
(another schoolmate), Gretchen Parlato, and Nikki Ross all make vocal
appearances. Hodge and Brown obviously share a love for the classic Blue
Note quartet and quintet sounds of the late '50s through the middle
'60s: tight, crisp, clean.
But that doesn't mean the music is retro; it's anything but. Opener "The
Way (Truth & Life)" commences with a punchy bass vamp before Brown
enters with a kinetic Afro-Latin groove and Glasper offers his signature
elliptical piano line. The horns counter with an urgent, melodic head
with labyrinthine asides. Ellis moves toward the outside and Glasper
follows. Brown lays down hip fills and rolls and cymbal washes. The
title track, written by Oliver, is quizzically done in three parts
spread over the record -- though they were obviously edited from one
longer cut. The first part -- the single -- has a knotty piano and horn
intro before his breezy vocal claims the center briefly before the tune
evolves into driving, fingerpopping post-bop. Parlato's reading of
Shania Twain's "You're Still the One" is smoky, spacious, nocturnal, and
understated. The hook is there, but in her phrasing and Brown's cymbal
ticks and snare and tom-tom syncopations, its margin blurs and almost
alchemically transforms into jazz. "Stages of Thought" and "The Two
Become One" are instrumentals that offer differing sides of Brown's
musical vision. The former is tumultuous, with layered dissonant
harmonics. Glasper's piano alternates between inquisitive and
declamatory as the horns engage in swooping dialogic call-and-response
solos. The rhythm section prods and provokes with accents, feints, and
dekes. The latter cut employs spoken samples from the tune's (literally)
speaking subject (Brown's wife) during their wedding ceremony. It's a
spacious, ethereal, open-ended ballad. Ellis' bass clarinet and
Glasper's electric piano surround the rhythm section, which lays down a
lithe, atmospheric groove. "I Love You Lord/We Exalt Thee/In the
Beginning" is one of two fine Ross vehicles here. This one reveals the
perfect intersection between gospel and contemporary jazz. Glasper's
piano accompanies her on the melody, adding dimension and lyric harmony
amid guest Shedrick Mitchell's organ swells. The singer soulfully and
elegantly commits to the lyric yet never over-emotes. Brown's playing is
like a chorale as he and Ross engage to develop an improvisational
dialogue. The Thought of You is ambitious in its musical reach and
affirmative in its themes of spiritual faith and family (actual and
relational). It is a thoroughly classy, sophisticated, at times
provocative offering by a top-notch talent.
Personnel:
Otis Brown III - Drums / Cymbals / Percussion
Keyon Harrold - Trumpet
John Ellis - Tenor Saxophone / Bass Clarinet
Robert Glasper - Piano / Fender Rhodes Electric Piano
Ben Williams - Electric Bass / Upright Bass
With Special Guests:
Nir Felder - Acoustic Guitar
Shedrick Mitchell - Hammond B-3 Organ
Derrick Hodge - Percussion
Bilal Oliver - Vocals on "The Thought Of You (Part I)"
Gretchen Parlato - Vocals on "You're Still The One"
Nikki Ross - Vocals (Tracks 8, 10)
Raydar Ellis - Programming
Arranged By Robert Glasper and Derrick Hodge.
tracklist:
01 - The Way
02 - The Thought Of You 01
03 - Interlude 01
04 - Stages Of Thought
05 - The Two Become One
06 - You're Still The One
07 - The Thought Of You 02
08 - I Love You Lord-We Exalt Thee-In The Beginning
09 - The Thought Of You 03
10 - I Am Your Song
11 - Interlude 02
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ReplyDeleteThnx Ruskaval. Parlato is a personal favorite, so I'm interested in hearing her in this context.
ReplyDelete