Trumpeter
Sean Jones' 2011 studio effort No Need for Words is an engaging and straightforward post-bop affair that showcases
Jones' flexible improvisation skills. Having left the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra in 2010 to better pursue his solo efforts,
Jones set himself up nicely here with an album that certainly reinforces his profile as a bright-toned trumpeter with titanic chops, while also revealing a more intimate, supple horn style and a knack for writing interesting compositions. Opening with the swinging "Look and See," the album also features such stand-out cuts as the expansive Latin number "Olive Juice," the R&B-inflected ballad "Momma," the angular and funky "Touch and Go," and the
Miles Davis-influenced title track ballad, among others. Joining
Jones here is a stellar cast of like-minded instrumentalists including pianist
Orrin Evans, bassist
Luques Curtis, drummer
Obed Calvaire, saxophonist
Brian Hogan, percussionist
Kahlil Kwame Bell, organist
Corey Henry, and guitarist Matt Stevens. No Need for Words is easily
Jones' best small group album to date. ~ Matt Collar