Trumpeter
Blanchard has released some fine recordings in the '90s, but this one may be the best of them all, as he asserts himself as a composer of truly original modern jazz. He wrote seven selections, utilizing one or two of three saxophonists per cut --
Branford Marsalis and
Brice Winston (tenor) or Aaron Fletcher (alto). It's the rhythm section that boils this pot over; bassist
David Holland and especially pianist
Edward Simon are en fuego, while young drummer
Eric Harland continues to show steady progress en route to becoming a first-rate trappist.
The first piece, "Luna Viajera," harkens back to the composition "Black Pearl." It's a dark, tick-tock, well-after-hours siren's song, with Fletcher and
Winston crying uncle for romantic mercy. A patented, masterful bass solo from
Holland intros "My Only Thought of You," an easy waltz with moaning, clarion horns by the leader and
Marsalis, with a tick-tock beat going back to 3/4 informing the tenorman's solo. Three later numbers feature
Winston: the very slow ballad "Sweet's Dream" has a lonely trumpet line from
Blanchard; "Sidney" metamorphoses "End of a Love Affair" snippets into a completely new tune; while
Simon's lone composition "The Process" is a deep midnight-blue waltz. The 11-minute "Joe & O" has steadily swung, introspective fragments of hip melody strewn throughout from
Blanchard and
Marsalis, while the resolute token standard finale "I Thought About You" is a languid blues-drizzled ballad for only the leader and his astute trio.
Sparks fly, and unrequited moods coalesce during this prismatic epic of emotions, swing, and truly new mainstream jazz from
Blanchard and his cohorts. It comes highly recommended, and is a strong candidate for Jazz CD of Y2K. ~ Michael G. Nastos