Brad Goode: Nature Boy

Trumpeter Brad Goode brings a mixed bag to this recording. He set his sights on pop tunes from the past and the present, jazz standards, a Latin tune as well as his own work. They serve him well. He dips in and brings out the nuances and the range, turning this into a recording well worth listening to.

Goode opens with "Nature Boy. It is an astute choice for it gives him an avenue to show his ability to make a melody bloom and to improvise. He brings in a bright, sunny air venting the underlying joy. His innovations are pragmatic, juxtaposing long phrases with quick ones even as he keeps the velocity constant. Crisp drumming from Todd Reid and a fine solo that builds the progression in imaginative steps by pianist Jeff Jenkins add to the momentum.

The Latin "Tres Palabras (Without You) offers contrast and so, gives Goode the opportunity to extend the character of his playing. The tune flows with warm gentility as Goode turns it into an emotional power house. Johannes Weidenmueller (bass) stokes the mood. His is a subtle piece of work, unhurried and probing with delicacy.

Goode shows considerable flair as a composer. "Nightmare of the Mechanized World is open-ended, giving the band plenty of room for their ideas. Form floats on the transparent permutations of drums and piano, the empathy between Reid and Jenkins being the glue. Goode is emphatic, his jumpy approach and gurgle of notes spike the body before he divines the melody. It all falls in seamlessly, but there is more and it comes in the dance of the melody from Weidenmueller and Jenkins.

Celedon, another Goode tune, is graced by a beautiful melody. Goode embellishes it with lines that are pure and gentle. Into the fold come the rest with Jenkins creating wellsprings of fertile ideas. This is a neat little tune and another delight on this recording.