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Ed Cherry: Are We There Yet?
ByThe session opens with a Cherry original, "Jean/Pauline," which he wrote for his two daughters. It is a voluble swinger that gives this slick band space to run through a wide range of changing lines with dogged curiosity. Scintillating guitarist Grant Green wrote "Green Jeans" that gives Cherry and the band an opportunity to unspool the theme in a persuasive way with all the players showing their nimble and assertive capabilities. Cherry and Koehler are a potent harmonically linked pair. Pianist Cedar Walton's "Holy Land" provides the frame for a flowing excursion driven by Cherry's sinewy lines and Koehler's searching and self-assured organ.
Another Cherry original composition is the title track "Are We There Yet?" Infused with a blues aesthetic, the number cooks along with its own steam. Cherry, Croft and Koehler have a fastidious grasp of this tradition providing a contemporary harmonic and sleek rhythmic sensibility. The trend-setting jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery penned "Mr. Walker" with the group giving it a samba beat in the same manner as the Montgomery original. Cherry's picking is precisely calibrated in his own style with Koehler's organ offering a rugged counterpoint.
The album closes with "Tres Palabras" written by the Cuban songwriter and composer Osvaldo Farrés. With a bright Latin beat, Cherry presents himself as guitarist adept with colour and line, while Koehler is accomplished at finessing the full range of the organ. A solid ear-catching outing.
Track Listing
Jean Pauline; Ding Dong; Green Jeans; Holy Land; Japanese Folk Song; Are We There Yet; Spring Is Here; Mr Walker; Lawns; Tres Palabras.
Personnel
Album information
Title: Are We There Yet? | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Cellar Records
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Ed Cherry
Album Review
Pierre Giroux
Are We There Yet?
Cellar Records
Monte Croft
Kyle Koehler
Byron "Wookie" Landham
Grant Green
Cedar Walton
Wes Montgomery