The Aggregation, Under the Direction of Eddie Allen: Groove's Mood

The music starts swinging with the brassy title track, led by Bruce Barth's wonderful piano introduction, then handing it off to tenor man Jay Brandford and trumpeter John Bailey, who guide the music with the support of the mighty woodwinds. "Brasilia" is another original with a true "head bobbin'" Brazilian flavor, punctuated by a dazzling alto solo from Tia Fuller, complimenting one of the many outstanding charts here. Departing from the majority of its hard-core jazz theme, "Wade In The Water," a traditional Negro spiritual, is performed like a raunchy gospel with another goal in mind, to say "Amen, brother" for this fine music.

Vocalist Latanya Hall delivers a smooth performance on a couple of well-known Stevie Wonder songs, beginning with "You Are The Sunshine of My Love." She steps aside for awhile on the almost nine-minute rendition of "My Cherie Amour," as the band takes over with a beautiful orchestration including spots from Barth, Brandford on alto flute and Eddie Allen on trumpet. Allen repeats "You Are The Sunshine of My Life" as the album closer, but this time as an instrumental. Allen is featured on a couple of other pieces, but none so prominently as on the lovely ballad of "Tenderly," where he blows the horn in cushy fashion for one of the album's highlights.

In tribute to a couple of jazz legends no longer with us, Allen pays homage to pianist James Williams on "The Soulful Mister Timmons," and trumpet great Freddie Hubbard with a sprawling arrangement of his signature tune, "Sky Dive." A composer and author as well, Allen pens a musical history lesson on African slavery with the "The Black Coming," a four-part referring to being "Kidnapped," the act of "Servitude," the feeling of "Jubilation" and, finally, the condition of being "Enslaved"—marvelously punctuated with strong brassy statements and making for another set high point.

The dictionary definition to "aggregate" means, in part, "taken altogether; considered as a whole; a collective body"—referring, no doubt, to the combined talents of The Aggregation big band, seventeen unheralded players who find their groove under the direction of Eddie Allen and produce an audacious debut on Groove's Mood.

Comments