Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Don Braden: Earth Wind and Wonder, Vol. 2

25

Don Braden: Earth Wind and Wonder, Vol. 2

By

View read count
Don Braden: Earth Wind and Wonder, Vol. 2
As on the first recording of this two-volume series, acclaimed tenor saxophonist Don Braden pays tribute to a couple of his coming-of-age idols, singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder and the genre-defying group Earth, Wind and Fire. Braden has chosen four of Wonder's compositions and three associated with EW&F to accompany a pair of his splendid original themes.

Braden plays tenor saxophone most of the way, flute and alto flute, respectively on Wonder's "Bird of Beauty" and "Creepin.'" Needless to say, he is superb on every instrument, summoning his many years of experience to enrich each song. For support, Braden has enlisted the services of pianists Art Hirahara (four tracks) and Miki Hayama (six), bassist Kenny Davis, drummer Jeremy Warren and (on three tracks) percussionist Kahlil Kwame Bell, all excellent choices. Bell lends solidity and substance to EW&F's "In the Stone" and "Reasons" and Wonder's "Creepin.'"

The choice of music is admirable, as Braden's originals, "Profusion" and "Arise," more than hold their own against impressive competition, opening with the swing/samba "In the Stone" and closing with another of EW&F's high-spirited themes, "That's the Way of the World." Wonder's medium-grooved "Master Blaster" is given an emphatic ride, as are his tender ballad "Send One Your Love," ardent "Bird of Beauty" and seductive "Creepin.'" Braden's high-stepping "Profusion" (inspired by a pair of Wonder's compositions) and fast-moving "Arise" find the leader at his outspoken best, as does the sleek and melodious "Reasons." While Braden takes the lion's share of solos, there are concise yet engaging statements along the way by Hirahara, Hayama and Davis.

Those who have followed Braden's long and rewarding career will know pretty much what to expect—tasteful music adeptly performed by an outstanding tenor saxophonist and his able supporting cast.

Personnel

Album information

Title: Earth Wind and Wonder, Vol. 2 | Year Released: 2024 | Record Label: Self Produced

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.