Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Tom Harrell: Tom Harrell: Roman Nights

464

Tom Harrell: Tom Harrell: Roman Nights

By

Sign in to view read count
Tom Harrell: Tom Harrell: Roman Nights
Roman Nights, trumpeter Tom Harrell's third release with his hardworking quintet of saxophonist Wayne Escoffery, pianist Danny Grissett, bassist Ugonna Okegwo and drummer Johnathan Blake, is an all-original set that maintains the highest standards of composition, small-group arranging and improvisation. Harrell is a paragon of restraint, each note carefully chosen, each phrase finely balanced, seducing with the sheer magnetism of his melodies, while Escoffery lets loose torrents of ideas that topple over each other with brassy bluster.

On "Let the Children Play," the tenor's serpentine lines are chock-a-block with inventive turns and exhaustively explored motifs as the trumpet's mellow, pure voice seems to imply as much with half the notes. Harrell's compositions range from the pared down melody of "Children" to the lyric beauty of the title track, leavened here and there with odd wrinkles, to the uneasy harmonic shifts of "Study in Sound" and "Harvest Song"'s strangely accessible mix of the foreign with the familiar. Grissett and Okegwo's contributions are considerable, but it is Blake's irrepressible pulse that dominates, elevating each track with deft reactions and all-out drive.

March 31st, 2010's opening set at the Village Vanguard came soon after the CD's release, mirroring many of its features. Opening with "Storm Approaching," Harrell was initially hesitant, but hit his stride by "Obsession," which also featured Escoffery rousing from simmer to boil in short succession. The ultra-funky "Cactus" (not on the CD) was followed by a beautiful flugelhorn-piano duet on the title ballad, Grissett's lush chords supporting the horn's plaintive peal, a mix of tender vulnerability and rosy exuberance. The rhythm section was a sea of bobbing heads and smiling faces while Blake's hard-hitting sticking almost stole the show.

Track Listing

Storm Approaching; Let the Children Play; Roman Nights; Study in Sound; Agua; Obsession; Harvest Song; Bird in Flight; Year of the Ox.

Personnel

Tom Harrell
trumpet

Tom Harrell: trumpet, flugelhorn; Wayne Escoffery: tenor saxophone; Danny Grissett: piano, Fender Rhodes; Ugonna Okegwo: bass; Johnathan Blake: drums.

Album information

Title: Roman Nights | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: HighNote Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.
View events near New York City
Jazz Near New York City
Events Guide | Venue Guide | Local Businesses | More...

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.