Javier Nero Jazz Orchestra: Alkebulan

On Alkebulan, the second recording by his Washington, DC-area Jazz Orchestra, composer, arranger and trombonist Javier Nero pays loving tribute to his African heritage, as he did on the orchestra's earlier album for Outside In Music, emet (The Black Land). As before, Nero uses his considerable skills as a writer and orchestrator to share and amplify his vision of a once-thriving civilization whose framework and particulars have been swept away in the historical narrative but whose impact on the human race was and is pivotal and decisive.

Alkebulan, Nero writes, "is one of the oldest native words to describe the continent of Africa," bearing the connotation of "'Mother of Mankind' and 'Garden of Eden.'" In Nero's capable hands, the continent springs vividly to life via a series of tasteful and picturesque motifs, divided midstream by a pair of more modern themes, Sigmund Romberg's "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise," and Bob Dorough's breezy "Devil May Care," showcasing splendid guest vocalists Veronica Swift ("Sunrise") and Nicole Zuraitis ("Devil May Care"). A similar case could be made for the album's persuasive closing number, "Seminole," Nero's high-powered rendition of Ray Noble's venerable warhorse, "Cherokee."

The opening number (and title song), a melodic and rhythmic delight in which brass and reeds underscore Nero's sweeping vision, sets the compass while leading to sharp solos by guest artists Warren Wolf (vibraphone) and Sean Jones (trumpet), and rhythmic fireworks courtesy of drummer Kyle Swan and percussionist Murph Aucamp. "Make It So" offers more of the same, this time with stellar solos by two more guests, trumpeter Randy Brecker and guitarist Shawn Purcell, preceded by a superb but unnamed alto saxophonist—either Daniel Andrews or Daniel Dickinson—and more precise and powerful timekeeping from Swan and bassist Regan Brough. Tenors Xavier Perez and Lucas Pino are featured on the well-named "Radiant Flower," while pianist Alex Brown is center stage on the handsome ballad, "Ayla," which leads to "Morning Sunrise" and "Devil May Care."

The typically mellow "Sunrise" morphs into an old-school swinger whose explosive ensemble passages undergird Swift's spot-on scatting, while the well-grooved "Devil May Care" sets the stage for Nero's dazzling and colorful "Fourth Dimension," wherein he (presumably) adds a trombone solo. Guest Nathan Skinner adds rhythmic mastery to another showpiece, the vibrant and persuasive "Tesseract," before the orchestra wraps the package with Nero's lively and clever "Seminole," on which Dickinson's savvy clarinet and Jones' nimble trumpet share blowing space with another (unnamed) trombonist.

Even though the orchestra is flawless and the soloists sharp and tasteful, what really separates Alkebulan from the herd are Nero's bold and enterprising charts, every one of which bears the imprint of a master class in contemporary big-band writing and arranging—as befits one who holds a doctoral degree in musical arts and is a longtime member of the U.S. Army's flagship ensemble, the Army Blues. Nero pours that experience—and his heart—into Alkebulan, reaping enormous dividends by producing a big-band recording that has set the gold standard for what is to follow in 2026.