Home »
Jazz Articles » Album Review » Darren Barrett: First One Up
Darren Barrett: First One Up
Winner of the 1997 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, trumpeter Darren Barrett picks up where many of today’s young cats start, at the alter of Clifford Brown, Freddie Hubbard, and Kenny Dorham. That ain’t all bad. Barrett, a member of Jackie McLean’s working band, churns from the gitgo on this recording. Produced by Donald Byrd, this session is recorded much like a Criss Cross record, which is to say, a lot like those old Blue Note workouts. Kenny Garrett sits in on three tracks, two of which are alternative takes on an absolute cooker, “First One Up,” which is a testosterone filled jam. You just have to dig the young lions. Barrett, like Marcus Printup show us that there will always be room for faster, hip, note slinging trumpeters. Sure it’s hard keeping track of the Paytons, Hargroves, Roneys, and Kisors of today. But, I’ll argue that like gunslingers, unless we maintain the competition, we’ll end up with a drunken sheriff and more fusion/smooth jazz than you can stomach.
Track List:First On e Up (Take One); Word! Dr. Byrd; Impossible; 2 To 4; Grand Ravine; Up Down – Inside Outside; Conceta Elfreda; A New Day Comes; Reflections; First One Up (Take Two); Dee’s Theme.
Personnel
Darren Barrett, trumpet; Aaron Goldberg, piano; Jimmy Greene, tenor, soprano sax; Kenny Garrett, alto sax (1, 6, 10); Reuben Rogers, bass; John Lamkin, drums.
Contact: J Curve Records, P.O. Box 867, Cincinnati, OH 45201
Album information
Title: First One Up
| Year Released: 1999
| Record Label: J Curve Records
PREVIOUS / NEXT
Support All About Jazz
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.
