Lauren Henderson - Musa

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:53
Size: 126,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:54) 1. I Concentrate on You
(4:23) 2. La Marejada
(4:21) 3. Forget Me
(3:33) 4. Corazón, No Llores
(6:58) 5. Wild Is the Wind
(6:08) 6. Luz
(5:03) 7. Leeward
(4:15) 8. Ahora
(3:02) 9. The Sweetest Sounds
(5:06) 10. Musa
(5:04) 11. Leeward (Love)

Even if this album will not shine on the innovative side, the fact remains that the fabulous voice of Lauren Henderson, who sings in English or Spanish, is a pure marvel. Towards the start of the pandemic, the New York artist sought to record an album weaving the traditions that influence his sound: “I wanted my next record to be a mix of jazz, flamenco and Afro-Latin music” , Henderson explains, “a kind of fusion of everything that makes up my cultural and musical identity”. Let's admit all the same that the Flamenco consonances are here more a Hollywoodian vision than a real Flamenca interpretation of the guitar which accompanies the singer… but once again, here it is the voice which is the main actor, therefore…

Lauren declares: “I like being a musician because you are constantly learning and growing ”. Contributed to this opus: Sullivan Fortner on piano, Eric Wheeler on bass and Joe Dyson on drums. When Henderson felt ready to share her music, she reached out directly to Fortner, her longtime collaborator, who has performed on all of her albums since 2011. “Sullivan is the first person I usually see to share. my original music , ”she says, “ just to get feedback from someone I trust, someone who I know will give his honest opinion on what he thinks about music. ”After a socially distant duo rehearsal, Henderson set the dates for the recording.“As a songwriter, I want to prioritize honesty and integrity,” Lauren says. “As a singer, it is my responsibility to deliver a story to the listener and share my interpretation of the story. I just try to be fairly straightforward with my compositions and let things breathe. It has been such an honor - and a blessing - to work with the people I have chosen for this project, because they add so much life and their own vision to the music. ”

Bassist Eric Wheeler casts vivid shadows of tension and tenderness on “La Marejada”, while Paco Soto's guitar radiates over Henderson's melodies and interludes. Full of grace and syncopation, “Luz” stages a characteristic play between Henderson and Fortner, supported by the nuanced and thoughtful touch of Dyson. “Wild is the Wind” reveals the impact of intimacy - contemplative, purposeful and engaging a mixture of temporal sensations. “Leeward”, the only original English song on the album, is a hymn to the enduring nature of love.Translate By Google https://www.paris-move.com/reviews/lauren-henderson-musa/

Personnel: Lauren Henderson (voice); Sullivan Fortner (piano); Eric Wheeler (bass); Joe Dyson (drums); Daniel J. Watts (spoken word); Marquis Hill (trumpet); Paco Soto (guitar)

Musa

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Marquis Hill - Modern Flows EP, Vol. 1

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:24
Size: 102,5 MB
Art: Front

(2:31)  1. Modern Flows Intro
(5:03)  2. Black Harvest
(7:12)  3. White Shadow
(4:20)  4. The Essence
(2:19)  5. Love my Life
(4:34)  6. I Remember Summer
(4:48)  7. When We Were Kings
(2:47)  8. King Legend
(7:15)  9. Flow
(3:30) 10. Legend's Outro II

Chicago-raised trumpeter Marquis Hill, winner of last year’s Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, displays his compositional prowess along with his chops on his fourth recording as a leader, Modern Flows EP Vol. 1. Its 10 original compositions burst with equal parts passion and sophistication, the entire outing suffused with a strong and appealing sense of Afrocentric identity. Hill’s compositions cover a broad range of styles. “Black Harvest” finds Hill and alto saxophonist Christopher McBride trading spiky bop phrases over drummer Makaya McCraven’s staccato polyrhythms. “The Essence,” with its burnished melodic line for unison horns, includes charming, romantic fills from vibraphonist Justin Thomas. “I Remember Summer” is a serene showcase for vocalist Meagan McNeal. |

Hill’s best playing of the recording is his tight, smartly paced solo on the fascinating “White Shadow,” a tune melding McCraven’s tense runs and thunking bass from Joshua Ramos with a quirky melody that at times recalls a children’s song. This track and three others feature fiery spoken-word performer Keith Winford, who evokes both African-Americans’ regal ancestry (on “King Legend,” backed by McCraven’s stinging hip-hop-styled beats) and often-fraught contemporary circumstances (“White Shadow” finds Winford shouting, “Put me in a chokehold/Struggling to breathe”). Another spoken-word artist, South African poet Tumelo Khoza, graces the album’s intro track; she grandly intones, “Black, you do not lack/You are the crux of all that matters,” wafted along by a hushed melodic statement from Hill and McBride and a smooth groove from electric bassist Bryan Doherty.Hill’s Monk competition prize included a recording contract with Concord Music Group. If the musical artistry and powerful sociopolitical engagement of the self-released Modern Flows are an indication, we are in for an epochal recording. https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/marquis-hill-modern-flows-ep-vol-1/

Modern Flows EP, Vol. 1

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Marquis Hill - Modern Flows, Vol. 2

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:32
Size: 159,9 MB
Art: Front

(1:53)  1. Modern Flows II Intro
(6:00)  2. Twin Flame
(8:13)  3. Ego vs. Spirit
(5:52)  4. The Watcher
(2:16)  5. It Takes a Village
(6:05)  6. Prayer for the People
(6:02)  7. Moments of Flow
(1:55)  8. Smoke Break
(4:51)  9. Kiss and Tell
(3:33) 10. It's All Beautiful
(6:03) 11. As I Am
(2:57) 12. Herstory
(4:38) 13. Stellar
(5:34) 14. Law of Vibrations
(2:32) 15. Legend's Outro III

In the interim between trumpeter/composer Marquis Hill's Modern Flows EP in 2014 and this full-length sequel, he issued The Way We Play for Concord. It offered his genre blurring style in a program of (mostly) jazz standards. A year later he released the killer Meditation Tape, a recording that serves as a proper introduction to the music found here. The trumpeter is sporting an entirely new Blacktet for this date with drummer Jonathan Pinson, vibraphone and marimba ace Joel Ross, bassist Junius Paul, and alto saxophonist Josh Johnson, and guest vocalists. Hill relentlessly pursues the seams between post-bop jazz, fusion, hip hop, and 21st century soul, erasing their lines of demarcation as he pursues a holistic, insightful vision. In "Twin Flame," Hill's labyrinthine compositional style reveals itself with circular vibraphone pulses and snare breaks under a winding head from the frontline players and Paul's Jaco-esque electric bassline. First single "Ego vs. Spirit" commences with a breezy bass vamp and skittering drums amid martial vibes. The unified head is pastoral at least until it directly quotes Ellington's "Caravan" with loping harmonies over a chorus of wordless backing vocals and Ross' vibes, which wed Ruth Underwood's to Bobby Hutcherson's playing styles in provocative rhythmic flourishes before they give way to a fine solo from Johnson. 

Hill's harmonic conceptions are wholly interactive: "The Watcher" and "Moments of Flow" offer examples where knotty solo transitions meet the horns' elegant lyric passages. The interplay of the rhythm section is remarkable in its complexity and rumbling, funky charm. Second single "Kiss and Tell" is a glorious soul tune with vocals by Braxton Cook and Rachel Robinson entwining like Peaches & Herb or Billy Paul and Marilyn McCoo. While "As I Am" is a flat-out bop sprint, "Herstory" (featuring M'Reld Green) is an in-the-pocket, laid-back funk jam courtesy of the rhythm section. "Law of Vibrations" offers a frontline lyric passage worthy of the Jazz Messengers before Paul and Ross take it outside, complemented by frenetic sticks on wood syncopation from Pinson. The horns enter midway, just in time for wonderful (i.e., not overplayed) solos from Ross, Johnson, and Hill. Modern Flows, Vol. II is a much more unified statement than its predecessor. This is the sound of a band intimately communicating, not just fine players articulating someone's tunes. The juxtapositions of genres here create a true fusion sound; Hill doesn’t discriminate: for him these are incarnations of the same music. That said, unlike many of his peers, he has the compositional skill and requisite taste to communicate just exactly how he hears that.~ Thom Jurek https://www.allmusic.com/album/modern-flows-vol-ii-mw0003210186

Personnel: Marquis Hill (tr.), Josh Johnson (alto), Joel Ross (vib.), Junius Paul (cb.), Jonathan Pinson (batt.), M’Reld Green, King Legend, Braxton Cook, Rachel Robinson.

Modern Flows, Vol. 2

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Geof Bradfield Quintet - Our Roots

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:17
Size: 140,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:40)  1. Adam in the Garden
(6:39)  2. Clinton Hill
(3:42)  3. Yellow Gal
(3:10)  4. Black Girl
(4:16)  5. Meshell
(6:27)  6. Before This Time Another Year
(0:18)  7. Lead Belly
(6:57)  8. Dick's Holler
(7:02)  9. Mbira Song
(4:35) 10. Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground
(7:09) 11. Motherless Children
(4:15) 12. Take This Hammer

Discussing "roots" in the context of jazz, a good starting point is the Mississippi delta, down in New Orleans, where the music of trumpeters King Oliver and Louis Armstrong grew strong. And then there's the rich earth of the delta in north western Mississippi, up near Clarksdale, where the blues grew and blossomed. The roots from both these areas were, of course, transplanted from Africa. Chicago-based saxophonist Geof Bradfield follows up his marvelous Melba! (Origin Records, 2013) with Our Roots, drawing his inspiration from saxophonist Clifford Jordan's These Are My Roots: the Music of Lead Belly (Atlantic Records, 1965), a celebration of the music of blues man Huddie Ledbetter, taking the raw folk and blues stylings and turning it into a very legitimate and inspiring jazz outing. It was Geof Bradfield's self-imposed job, with his Our Roots, to bring a new perspective to an album he had long loved. 

On Melba!, an examination of the sounds from trombonist arranger Melba Liston, pianist Randy Weston's arranger of choice for a good chunk of his career, Bradfield used a three horn front line with two chording instruments, piano and guitar, to explore the African-tinted textures of Liston's artistry. With Our Roots, he leaves the chords out, going with the three horns, bass and drums, a line-up that loosens things up and offers a purity and simplicity that fits Lead Belly's music well.  This isn't a note for note or song for song copy of Jordan's album. That 1965 outing was all Lead Belly. For Our Roots the saxophonist includes four of the Lead Belly tunes from the Clifford Jordan disc, throws in three of his originals in the spirit of Ledbetter's folk/blues, adds a couple of Texas blues man Willie Dixon's songs, and just for the hell of it (and they fit so well), a couple of Georgia Sea Island ring shouts. This is music that says America. Spirited horn work, a killer bass drum team. There are times this sounds like a Randy Weston set, pared down to its essentials. Some of Melba Liston may have soaked into Bradfield's DNA. And the sax man at times has the fierce rawness of Dewey Redman or Pharoah Sanders, two of the tenorists who contributed so brilliantly to Weston's Melba Liston-arranged masterpiece, Spirits of Our Ancestors (Antilles Records, 1992). These are proud sounds, sometimes raucous and rubbery, spiritual, occasionally brash, and consistently brimming with joy.~ Dan McClenaghan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/our-roots-geof-bradfield-origin-records-review-by-dan-mcclenaghan.php

Personnel: Geof Bradfield: tenor saxophone; Marquis Hill: trumpet; Joel Adams: trombone; Clark Sommers: bass; Dana Hall: drums.

Our Roots

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Geof Bradfield - Birdhoused

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:34
Size: 132,8 MB
Art: Front

(7:14)  1. The Other Side of Town
(7:10)  2. Constellation
(3:32)  3. Sonatina
(7:50)  4. Nephila
(6:14)  5. Solid Jackson
(1:46)  6. Bass Solo
(9:46)  7. Fearful Symmetry
(5:53)  8. Birdhoused
(8:05)  9. Laconia

A horn-fest? That was the initial impression of saxophonist Geof Bradfield's Birdhoused, a set featuring a quintet with no chording instrument and  four horn front line in a live set at the Green Mill Cocktail Lounge. While Bradfield's Melba (Origin Records, 2013) paid tribute to the under-sung trombonist/composer/arranger Melba Liston; and his Roots (Origin Records, 2015) explored the sounds of Leadbelly, Blind Willie Johnson and the Georgia Sea Island Singers, Birdhoused expands the horizons, delving into the disparate sounds of Chicago soul songster Curtis Mayfield,  bop pioneer Charlie Parker,  and classical Hungarian composer Gyorgi Ligeti, along with five Bradfield originals, with one tune from the quintet's bassist, Clark Sommers, shuffled in.  So: tenor sax,alto sax, trombone and  trumpet makes for a horn fest; except that would be shortchanging the drive train, bassist Clark Sommers and drummer Dana Hall, who provide a high horsepower propulsion both instruments just bit up in the mix, which is a good thing. Opening with Curtis Mayfield's "The Other Side Of Town," the group proves itself a freewheeling, loose limbed outfit, full of spontaneity and intricate interplay, with solos often torrid all around, bringing another Bird to mind: Little Bird, Ornette Coleman, around the time of Science Fiction (Columbia Records, 1971), when the free jazz alto sax man used in his bands multiple hornmen of the adventurous variety. "Constellation," an elastic take on Charlie Parker's tune, rides in the same vein with a spirited sound, while Ligeti's "Sonatina" mellows things down to solemn mood. 

After the covers, the set settles into what could be called the Bradfield Suite. Compositionally, the rest of the album comes from the leader with a brief bass solo tune from Sommers slipped in. Starting with Bradfield's pensive "Nephila,"  rumbling through a turbulent "Solid Jackson," slinking along on "Fearful Symmetry," strutting through "Birdhoused," and wrapping things up with "Laconia," a bright-hued nod to Bradfield's fellow Chicago-an, saxophonist Clifford Jordan, whose middle name happened to be "Laconia." ~ Dan McClenaghan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/birdhoused-geof-bradfield-cellar-live-review-by-dan-mcclenaghan.php

Personnel: Geof Bradfield: tenor saxophone; Marquis Hill: trumpet; Joel Adams: trombone; Nick Mazzarrella: alto saxophone; Clark Sommers: acoustic bass; Dana Hall: drums, percussion.

Birdhoused

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Kurt Elling - The Questions

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:13
Size: 149,9 MB
Art: Front

(8:05)  1. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
(3:46)  2. A Happy Thought
(6:12)  3. American Tune
(4:10)  4. Washing Of The Water
(6:18)  5. A Secret In Three Views
(6:54)  6. Lonely Town
(9:04)  7. Endless Lawns
(6:07)  8. I Have Dreamed
(6:24)  9. The Enchantress
(8:11) 10. Skylark

How does one grapple with existence and its juxtaposition against the present state of affairs? That's the question that hangs heaviest over The Questions. While vocalist Kurt Elling didn't come into this production with a theme in mind, he discovered a through line in the act of wrestling with difficulties and dreams in this age of marked unreason and unrest. With these ten songs he explores that topic to the fullest, coloring the music with his signature blend of authority and understanding.

 A mixture of tones inquiring and knowing sets this meditation on humanity and our times in motion with "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall." Bob Dylan's difficult truths by way of Elling's passionate delivery immediately become the cynosure of ears and minds, though co-producer Branford Marsalis's soprano solo and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts' pelting finish certainly garner attention. What follows an examining and affirming smile at life in pianist Stu Mindeman's musical setting of poet Franz Wright's " A Happy Thought," a gorgeous treatment of "American Tune" that recasts the Paul Simon classic as a treatise on immigration wrapped in hope's light and trapped in fear's web, and a hymn-like interpretation of Peter Gabriel's "Washing Of The Water" that's as emotive as anything in Elling's discography greatly furthers the image of the artist playing with the powers of enlightenment and doubt.  Through the remainder of the album, Elling paints with the various shades of perception, poetry, and philosophy that he knows so well. The bluesy resonance of "A Secret In Three Views" belies the deep thinking behind his Rumi-inspired lyrics to Jaco Pastorius' "Three Views Of A Secret," "Lonely Town" utilizes lighthearted sounds to frame the topic of solitude, "Endless Lawns" uses pianist-composer Carla Bley's "Lawns" as the musical basis for an arc that includes turmoil and release, and "I Have Dreamed" speaks to a yearning for love to bloom. Then the album closes with "The Enchantress," a work nodding toward matriarchal figures both Marsalis' and Elling's and taking directional cues from poet Wallace Stevens' "The Idea Of Order At Key West," and a toned-down "Skylark," bringing the title of this album into lyrical consideration in a subdued light. The core band members and notable guests all make the weight of their contributions felt along the way here, but Elling manages to carry the weight of the world in his voice. He may not have the answer to all of the questions, but he certainly makes you think about them. ~ Dan Bilawsky https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-questions-kurt-elling-okeh-review-by-dan-bilawsky.php

Personnel: Kurt Elling: vocals; Stu Mindeman: piano, Hammond B-3 organ; Joey Calderazzo: piano (4, 6, 9); John McLean: acoustic guitar, electric guitar; Clark Sommers: bass; Branford Marsalis: saxophones; Marquis Hill: trumpet, flugelhorn; Jeff "Tain" Watts: drums.

Thank You my Friend!

The Questions

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Marquis Hill - Sounds Of The City

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 61:03

Size: 139.8 MB

Styles: Trumpet jazz

Year: 2012

Art: Front

[4:50] 1. Abracadabra

[3:00] 2. Clearfields's

[4:59] 3. The Wrath Of Lark

[0:25] 4. Spoken Word (Interlude #1)

[5:15] 5. Inner City Blues

[1:32] 6. Bass Solo

[5:25] 7. The Token

[2:29] 8. Like Lee

[0:18] 9. Spoken Word (Interlude #2)

[5:55] 10. To Be Free

[5:51] 11. Rose

[5:37] 12. Sounds Of The City

[0:23] 13. Spoken Word (Interlude #3)

[2:06] 14. She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not

[4:42] 15. North Star

[2:11] 16. Kiss And Tell

[5:55] 17. Stablemates

On his second album, 25-year-old Chicago trumpeter Marquis Hill is still looking for a sound and sensibility to call his own. But with his confidence and youthful charm, he makes the search itself yield ample rewards. Leading his fine working band, including pianist Joshua Moshier and alto saxophonist Christopher McBride, Hill ranges from catchy hard-bop originals to soulful and Brazilian-style ballads. A stylist in motion, he serves up fat melodic lines, purring plunger tones and snappy unison exchanges. With spoken interludes by singer Milton Suggs (who also turns in a brief vocal), the album aspires to be a unified celebration of life in the Windy City, not just a collection of songs. Hill’s guests include guitarist Bobby Broom, alto saxophonist Greg Ward and vibraphonist Justin Thomas, all of whom make themselves perfectly at home. ~Lloyd

Sounds Of The City   

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Marquis Hill - The Way We Play

Styles: Trumpet Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:02
Size: 106,0 MB
Art: Front

(1:47)  1. Welcome / Sirius (Bull’s Theme)
(6:14)  2. Medley: The Way We Play / Minority
(0:37)  3. Prelude
(5:33)  4. Moon Rays
(4:32)  5. My Foolish Heart
(2:05)  6. Polka Dots and Moonbeams
(5:53)  7. Fly Little Bird Fly
(3:32)  8. Maiden Voyage
(3:48)  9. Straight, No Chaser
(5:58) 10. Beep Durple
(0:36) 11. Juan's Interlude
(5:22) 12. Smile

Prior to winning the Thelonious Monk Institute's International Jazz Competition in 2014, trumpeter Marquis Hill was already a formidable presence on the Chicago jazz scene. An adroit improviser and educator, Hill had taken home several accolades, including his first place win in the 2013 Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition. His Monk Institute performance merely cemented the notion that Hill was a jazz artist who'd arrived. As part of his prize for winning the Monk contest, he earned a record deal with the Concord label, and 2016's The Way We Play is the result. While the album is certainly a showcase for Hill's fluid talents as an improvisor, it also works to showcase his skills as a bandleader. As with his 2014 effort, Modern Flows EP, Vol. 1, The Way We Play finds Hill leading his Blacktet, a group of longtime collaborators including saxophonist Christopher McBride, vibraphonist Justin Thomas, drummer Makaya McCraven, and bassist Joshua Ramos. Thoughtfully organic and rife with a groove-oriented, hip-hop-informed style, the Blacktet is at once contemporary and steeped in modern jazz tradition. Essentially, Hill balances both of these strengths on The Way We Play, largely touching upon songs from the jazz canon re-arranged in his own fluid, soulfully articulated style. As if to playfully underline his Chicago spirit, Hill also re-creates the Chicago Bulls game-opening theme replete with vocalist Meagan McNeal introducing his band. He then moves through a set of well-curated covers including a sophisticated version of "My Foolish Heart," featuring vocalist Christie Dashiell and a kinetic take on Horace Silver's "Moon Rays," in which McCraven plays a frenzied drum style reminiscent of electronic drum and bass beats.

Hill is a dynamic performer whose trumpet can be hushed and breathy one minute, and boldly clarion the next. Aesthetically, while he fits into the Freddie Hubbard mold with flashes of Wynton Marsalis and Clifford Brown, he's also a deeply rooted trumpeter with an array of influences, demonstrated here by his Afro-Cuban take on Donald Byrd's "Fly Little Bird Fly" and his choice to tackle Carmell Jones' knotty "Beep Durple." His technique can dazzle, as evidenced by his lithe squealing-at-the-clouds solo on Thelonious Monk's "Straight, No Chaser." However, he's also a canny romantic whose supple, burnished tone can pull you deeper into a melody as he does on his largely rubato take on the ballad "Polkadots and Moonbeams." Elsewhere, he delivers a languid take on fellow Chicagoan Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage," and even makes room for incisive social commentary via a spoken word poem from writer Harold Green III on "The Way We Play/Minority." Ultimately, The Way We Play illustrates Hill's award-winning sound, a sound that should appeal broadly to listeners hungry for a stylish, subtly forward-thinking approach to post-bop jazz, and to those who simply enjoy a warmly delivered standard. ~ Matt Collar http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-way-we-play-mw0002946301

Personnel: Marquis Hill (trumpet, flugelhorn); Meagan McNeal, Christie Dashiell (vocals); Christopher McBride (alto saxophone); Vincent Gardner (trombone); Justin "Justefan" Thomas (vibraphone); Makaya McCraven (drums); Juan Pastor (percussion).

The Way We Play

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Marquis Hill - New Gospel

Size: 99,9 MB
Time: 36:33
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2011
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Law And Order (5:43)
02. The Believer (7:35)
03. New Gospel (5:24)
04. Autumn (5:12)
05. A Portrait Of Fola (4:08)
06. The Thump (4:32)
07. Bass Solo (0:53)
08. Goodbye Fred (3:02)

There's a new generation of jazz musicians brewing on the Chicago jazz scene, and with New Gospel, Marquis Hill has solidified himself as one of its leading trumpet players. Joined by several other young Chicago jazz musicians, Hill makes a bold move by filling his entire first release with his own compositions.

Hill's notable orchestrating skills are reminiscent of Booker Little with a modern edge, like that of Roy Hargrove. Even if it's something just as simple as a displacement of the beat on "Autumn," or voicing the saxophone above the trumpet on "The Believer," he finds that balance between demonstrating his ability to write interesting material while still allowing his musicians enough room to be creative. He also manages to reference the past without sounding dated or restricted in any way. A great example of this is "The Thump" which begins with a saxophone-trumpet duet, similar to something that Igor Stravinsky would write for winds, that moments later breaks into an R&B groove. Though much like Miles Davis has done in the past, Hill's choice to snap a tempo for a new section on "The Believer" breaks up the album's flow a bit and disturbs the atmosphere created.

The performances on this release should not be overlooked. At several points, Hill and altoist Christopher McBride share some great dialogue when handing off solos, especially going from saxophone to trumpet on "The Believer" and vice versa on "The Thump." Bassist John Tate is an absolute rock on this album, often times being the only rhythm section member playing during an intro or transition, and on a track that doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the album, he is the only performer on a selection called "Bass Solo." Hill highlights Tate's playing again in a trumpet and bass duet on the closing "Goodbye Fred," a tribute to the late Chicago saxophonist Fred Anderson.

With a very raw, organic sound, New Gospel has helped distinguish Hill in a Chicago jazz market that is becoming increasingly populated with new talent. This release is not only a product Chicago can be proud of but also a standard which those other young jazz musicians on the scene can look up to. ~by Alex Marianyi

Personnel: Marquis Hill: trumpet; Christopher McBride: alto saxophone (2, 3, 5, 6); Chris Madsen: tenor saxophone (1, 4); Kenneth Oshodi: guitar (1, 3, 4); Joshua Moshier: piano; John Tate: bass; Jeremy Cunningham: drums.

New Gospel   

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