Henry Godfrey Jazz Orchestra: Attitude & Gratitude

There are five songs on Attitude & Gratitude, drummer Henry Godfrey's Boston-based Jazz Orchestra's second album, and each one is a tribute to people, places or circumstances that have helped Godfrey grow as a musician and as a person.

In order, they are "For McCoy" (honoring pianist McCoy Tyner and other jazz legends who have passed on); "Mad Max" (for the city [Washington, DC] in which Godfrey grew up); "Forgetting What Will Never Be" (for lost love and the "lessons in heartbreak and grief"); "Hot Water" (for the "kitchen camaraderie" while Godfrey served as chef at a Japanese restaurant), and "We'll Get There" (for strong communities built in the face of adversity that included a pandemic). Godfrey composed and arranged all of them.

Godfrey shows a keen ear throughout, with occasional contrapuntal touches reminiscent of the late great Bill Potts, another product of the Washington area and its service bands (like Potts, Godfrey was once a member of the U.S. Army Blues). Alas, the recording itself doesn't always bring out the best in Godfrey's seventeen-member ensemble, as reeds and especially brass are at times overly harsh and less than well-defined. Not necessarily disconcerting, simply not as sharp and clear as a modern recording would seem to warrant.

The themes are for the most part upbeat, starting with "For McCoy," a forceful groover that showcases the orchestra's assertive rhythm section alongside stalwart solos by pianist Rowan Barcham and guitarist Pritesh Walia, and continuing with "Mad Max" whose emphatic go-go beat harkens back to Godfrey's early days gigging all night in his hometown. Solos are by Godfrey, baritone Nicholas Suchecki and trumpeter Eli Block. The lone ballad, "Forgetting What Will Never Be," morphs into a seductive bolero and rhythmic cha-cha to underline ardent solos by trombonist m: Joey Dies, bassist Anna Abondolo and tenor Ian Buss.

Godfrey's agile brushes introduce "Hot Water," a bright and swinging minor blues whose amiable solos are delivered by trombonist Jasmine Sloane and tenor Anton Derevyanko. That leads to "We'll Get There," a colorful pastiche that placed in ASCAP's 2021 Herb Alpert Young Composers competition. Alto saxophonist Alex Ramirez is featured, with a second solo by trumpeter Matt Kelly and more well-knit work from the rhythm section. Attitude & Gratitude is by no means a classic big-band session (the recorded sound alone would preclude that) but one that is definitely above average, thanks to Godfrey's persuasive charts and the orchestra's expertise in bringing them to life.