After a highly praised Blue Note debut, trumpeter
Ambrose Akinmusire has returned with an album that
maintains a kitchen-sink embrace of styles and
textures. He penned all but one of the tunes,
collaborating with a handful of vocalists and adding
the explosive guitarist Charles Altura. But with a few
exceptions, this is an unquestionably somber record.
The driving “Memo (g. learson)” features brisk
statements from tenor saxophonist Walter Smith III
and Altura while jagged “Bubbles (john william
sublett)” gives bassist Harish Raghavan ample space to
tangle with pianist Sam Harris’ rapid-fire phrases over
a hypnotic groundswell and drummer Justin Brown’s
skittering funk. Elsewhere, haunting textures creep
like fog. Vocalist Becca Stevens appears on her “Our
Basement (ed)”. The sparse arrangement deals in
silence with pulsating strings, heightening Stevens’
impassioned quaver. The same strings weave a nearly
Celtic palette for “The Beauty of Dissolving Portraits”,
allowing Akinmusire to sputter over a chamber group’s
long tones. Vocalist Theo Bleckmann continues that
misty backdrop, accompanied primarily by solo piano
on “Asiam (joan)”, his multi-tracked vocals spinning
spectral dust over the bare landscape.
“Rollcall for Those Absent” is Akinmusire’s most
direct social statement. The tune features him glacially
surveying on a Juno keyboard as a child recites the
names of recent high-profile, unarmed murder victims
like Amadou Diallo and Kendrec McDade. The
repeated invocation of the names Trayvon Martin and
Oscar Grant are particular reminders of the hostility
young black men like Akinmusire can face without
merit and without warning.
Not surprisingly, Akinmusire’s return exudes
confidence. He has a way with intervallic leaps that are
uniquely his and shows great patience in embracing
the more languid instincts of his pen, the same one that
seems to relish cryptic song titles. He can blow like
nobody’s business but seems more intent on
showcasing his way with emotion and instrumentation.
No comments:
Post a Comment