Jun Iida: Bellflower

Jun Iida is a stylish trumpeter who has moved around a bit, in the process taking interpretive fragments of the jazz culture in each city he has inhabited. From his native Pittsburgh, to stops in Los Angeles, Seattle and New York City, he has remained connected to each through personal relationships with the local jazz communities he has embraced. An aerospace engineer who set his career aside to pursue his craft as a jazz trumpeter, Iida has along the way come to an understanding of how his art binds his creative spirit to his cross-country communities and ultimately, to his Japanese heritage. With Bellflower (OA2, 2026), he poetically embraces it all, both as a musician and as a composer. 

The finest point of Iida's trumpet style is the intimate, introspective, almost conversational sound he conjures from his horn. He has a background in classical trumpet, explaining his close attention to tonal quality, yet eschewing the more extroverted aspects of a traditional trumpet sound. His efforts on this recording give the impression that his playing is in a definitive state of growth, still reaching out and touching different color points of the music before eventually grasping those that he puts into use both as a player and composer.

The opener, "Rivers and Bridges," has the city of Pittsburgh in mind, where two rivers merging to form one great river is the major intersection in town. Pianist Chris McCarthy stands out immediately, whether playing the intro, comping in support of his bandmates, or delving into a fluid, virtuosic solo. From top to bottom on Bellflower, he seems to be just a tick ahead of the crowd, standing out on his own and being the glue that binds the band together. The first offering on any album should act as a primer of the entire effort, and this piece certainly qualifies—Iida's solo is ripe within cadence, though at times losing its melodic sense, all the while caressing the listener with his lush and welcoming sound and vibe. There is a sense that there is so much room for growth here, that this is a musician striving for excellence with every fiber of his being, knowing that his goal is not only reachable, but confidently inevitable. Guitarist Masami Kuroki offers a clean, clear sound accompanied by a contagious sense of harmony and all-around feel for his surroundings.   

"The Final View" lends an ear to the band's R&B tendencies, yet the combined voices fail to find a groove on this piece. McCarthy chips in expertly on Rhodes, but drummer Jongkuk Kim, who performs admirably on the majority of the record's tracks, struggles to work in sync with San Francisco bassist, Giulio Xavier Cetto. Once again it is McCarthy who steers the ship into tranquil waters, using the sustain qualities of the Rhodes to gather and push the groove along. 

"No Scuffs" finds the band swinging, with McCarthy on Rhodes laying down the harmonic grid for Iida and Kuroki to team up for the long, winding, boppish melody line. Kim treads lightly on the ride cymbal, mixing quick, eruptive polyrhythms into the mix. Cetto solos, emitting a woody, organic sound that adds beautiful texture to the overall sound of the tune. Iida plays loose, relaxed and gives the impression that he is in his musical comfort zone.   

The title track features a guitar and trumpet intro that seems intent on telling a story, much like a folk ballad. This very well may be Iida's most natural, unforced playing on the album. McCarthy returns to piano and offers an oceanic, motion infused chorus, preceding Kuroki's equally satisfying run through. Cetto leaves an impression with a short, melodic solo.   

This collection of original tunes form an album worthy of a good listen, and then again. It will likely not appeal to listeners who prefer a harder edge and a healthy dose of post bop adventurism. There is definitely a contemporary vibe throughout the 10 tracks, one that may even appeal to those few souls still lamenting the downfall of smooth jazz radio—but it is not that. It just has an easy, uplifting spirit to it that will likely satisfy most jazz fans, including those creating playlists for legit jazz radio.  

The message received about Iida as a leader may be this: When you surround yourself with musicians with different musical identities, the results can be earth shattering, or they can seem like a well-intentioned conversation involving several languages which takes time to sort out; the communication happens, but spontaneous moments are at times lacking. But if you have the patience and open-mindedness to really listen, it all becomes worthwhile.