Wynton Marsalis
Like some other jazz siblings—the Dorseys, say—the Marsalises haven't let the occasional difference of opinion keep them from making terrific music together or on their own. This is a marvelous case in point. Leading a quartet that also includes Marcus Roberts on piano, Robert Leslie Hurst III on bass and that selfsame Jeff Watts on drums, Wynton and his trumpet have created an album that surges with the sense of musical adventure. Playing seven abstract compositions, four by Wynton and one by his father, the four men respond to each other with a palpable sensitivity; the sound is of musicians who are truly listening as well as playing. The pace varies from the moody Presence That Lament Brings to the swinging Skain's Domain, but there is an unwavering attention to the melodic content of the music. While Marsalis naturally has more solo time (in the liner notes of this album, at least, solos are called "features"), everybody contributes. There is respect for context—of individual tunes and the overall album—yet the feeling of curiosity is overpowering. Hearing this record is like traveling over a series of hills and finding something different and alluring on the other side of every one of them. (Columbia)
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