Charles Owens Trio: Here It Is

Saxophonist Charles Owens is getting his second or even third wind these days and for those who follow him it is a pleasure to experience. An internationally-acclaimed tenor saxophonist, pianist, composer, bandleader and educator whose creative journey spans over 35 years, Owens plays a vital role in the thriving music scene in Richmond and Charlottesville, Virginia, while maintaining deep ties to New York by performing regularly at Smalls, the venerable subterranean venue where he first honed his chops.

For a taste of where Owens' journey finds him today, you can't go wrong with Here It Is, a collection of songs with accomplished Virginia jazz artists Andrew Randazzo on guitar and DJ Harrison on drums. Even more than earlier Owens' earlier outings such as A Wealth In Common (32 Bar Records, 2012), his husky, leather-lunged tone is the centerpiece of all songs. Owens is overflowing with ideas and can dig deep for extended choruses without falling into cliches or contrived dissonance. But the real distinction in his new sound is the neo-soul approach, complete with hip-hop drumbeats, electric piano (played by Owens) and hybrid electric bass, creating a soul-jazz hybrid that is far removed from the classic '60s soul-jazz of Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff and the like.

A good example of this approach is his take on the Duke Ellington warhorse, "In a Sentimental Mood," which begins with a slinky bass line and the familiar Ellington piano theme but then opens up to an R&B-styled blues. The track also demonstrates Owens' restraint and preference for melody, opting for more legato phrasing than the powerful energy jazz style soloing he has preferred in the past.

"Heartbreak + Setbacks" is a solid smoker with Harrison really kicking it into gear and Owens shifting from hard-charging cyclical patterns to flutters and knotty bebop figures, while Randazzo cuts through with the kind of deep-groove bass line that has helped propel his other band, Butcher Brown, to fame.

There is a lot of love in the air on these tunes, as many of them are inspired by '70s soul, hence the covers of Earth, Wind & Fire's "After The Love Is Gone" and the Stylistics "People Make The World Go Round." The latter is not as cloying as one might think and is actually a lot of fun. Meanwhile, "Crazy To Lose You" is a K.C.-style straight-ahead blues given a modern tinge thanks to Randazzo's expressive guitar work.

On the opposite side of the mood spectrum, Owens' spare and elegiac "The Sunday After" is a heartrending composition, written for the victims of the mass shooting at Pulse Nightclub in 2016 (and revisited on trumpeter Rex Richardson's excellent record, Elegy; Summit Records, 2025).

Strangely, the numbers that are most compelling are the quirky takes on Vernon Duke's "Autumn in New York" and Cole Porter's "My Heart Belongs to Daddy," the former given carefree, bluesy stop-shuffle and the latter crafted into a spooky, crooked tarantella like a Tom Waits tune.

Like any funk-driven music, Owens' neo-soul concept is more hook-driven and there is less freedom for the rhythm section to stretch out. Subsequently, you may be left wondering whether you stumbled onto an R&B record rather than jazz. But thankfully it does not matter, as Owens keeps things engaging at every turn. He is shooting for accessibility and succeeds in a very soulful, groove-driven way.

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