Isrea Butler: Congo Lament

After decades gigging as a sideman with some of the USA's most renowned big bands, trombonist Isrea Butler has finally recorded his debut album, Congo Lament, inviting tenor saxophonist and celebrated Count Basie Orchestra soloist Doug Lawrence to share the front line in his quintet.

All but one of the album's seven numbers was introduced on tenor 0Ike Quebec's album Easy Living, recorded in 1962, which featured one of Florida-born Butler's musical exemplars, trombonist Bennie Green. The other is the standard "Pennies from Heaven." Butler updates each of them splendidly, with sturdy support from Lawrence, pianist David Loeb, bassist Steve Flora and drummer Robert "Bob" Chmel.

Even so, the original bop-centered vibe remains fairly intact, which is squarely in Butler's and Lawrence's wheelhouse. Loeb is no slouch there either, as he shows on the playful "I.Q. Shuffle," melodious "Pennies from Heaven" and elsewhere, while Flora and Chmel provide an unerring rhythmic compass. Notable as he is on the burners, Lawrence is even more polished and persuasive on the mellow "Easy Living," on which Butler also sparkles. From there, the group slides easily into the quasi-Latin rhythmic charmer, "B.G.'s Groove," and cheerful "Pennies from Heaven."

The assertive "Que's Pills" offers more of the same (with spirited solos by Lawrence, Butler and Loeb leading to crisp four-bar exchanges with Chmel), as does the seductive, blues-soaked finale, Ma Rainey's "See See Rider." While none of the songs on Congo Lament is less than half a century old, that serves only to prove that well-designed and engaging music has no expiration date. A splendid coming out party for Isrea Butler and his agile teammates.

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