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Javier Nero Jazz Orchestra: Kemet (The Black Land)
By"Kemet," a vibrant salute to the once-trailblazing land, is the album's centerpiece, showcasing superb work by the ensemble, a wordless vocal by Nero and Christie Dashiell, an admirable trombone solo by Nero, and others to match by pianist Josh Richman and guest trumpeter Sean Jones. Nero plumbs the roots of jazz for the bracing opener, "The Blues Reincarnated" (news of whose demise escaped notice here) before focusing on "Time," making sure that each moment passes as pleasantly as possible thanks to a captivating arrangement and persuasive solos by Jones, soprano saxophonist Daniel Andrews and drummer Kyle Swan.
The enticing "Reflections on the Dark, Tranquil Water" (nice piano intro by Richman) includes the first of the session's five vocals, this one wordless, a samba-like midsection and inspired solos by Richman and Nero, while "Discord," which follows, is a melodious charmer that drops anchor about as far from disharmony as one could imagine. Dashiell sings on this one while Jones, Nero and Richman solo. "Nostalgic Haiku" is yet another even-tempered winner, using a quasi-Latin beat to underscore perceptive solos by Nero and guests Randy Brecker (trumpet) and Warren Wolf (vibraphone).
Nero, an award-winning trombone soloist, does the honors on the handsome ballad "Just Let Go," which precedes "Kemet" and another vocal, by Nero and Dashiell, on the gospel-tinged "One Day" whose astute solos are by flutist Ben Bokor and an unnamed trumpeter. Although soloists aren't listed, many are readily identifiable, as they are the orchestra's guest artists, while Nero (presumably) takes every trombone solo. The energetic finale, "Jam #3 (in C# Major"), is the longest track on the album, clocking in at more than twelve minutes, but none of that time is wasted, thanks to Nero's splendid chart and sharp solos by the leader and guests Jones and Tim Green (alto sax). While Nero's composing voice is strong, it is clear that he has listened to and learned from a number of well-known writersthe names Charles Mingus, Bob Brookmeyer and Maria Schneider spring to mindand has used that knowledge to good advantage on Kemet.
When not writing, Nero spends most days in the trombone section of the Army Blues, the premer jazz ensemble of the U.S. Army, so it is hardly surprising to see that almost every member of his splendid Jazz Orchestra is also a member of the Army Blues. That is all that need be said about quality control. Given a band of that caliber, and Nero's superlative compositions and arrangements, there is simply no way that Kemet could be less than persuasive.
Track Listing
The Blues Reincarnated; Time; Reflections on the Dark, Tranquil Water; Discord; Nostalgic Haiku; Just Let Go; Kemet (The Black Land); One Day; Jam #3 (in C# Major).
Personnel
Javier Nero
tromboneAdditional Instrumentation
Josh Kaufmann, Ken McGee, Graham Breedlove, Alec Aldred, Chris Burbank: trumpet, flugelhorn; Daniel Andrews: alto, soprano sax, flute; Daniel Dickinson: alto sax, flute, clarinet; Xavier Perez, Clay Pritchard: tenor sax, clarinet; Dustin Mollick: baritone sax, bass clarinet; Ben Bokor: flute, alto flute, clarinet (3, 4, 6, 8); Luke Brimhall, Ben Patterson, Aaron Eckert: trombone; Jake Craft: bass trombone, tuba; Michael Kramer: acoustic, electric guitar; Kyle Athayde: vibraphone (3); James Collins, Josh Richman: piano; Regan Brough, William Ledbetter: acoustic, electric bass; Kyle Swan: drums; Fran Vielma: percussion (3-8); Danielle Wertz: vocal (3). Special guests—Sean Jones: trumpet (2, 4, 7, 9); Randy Brecker: trumpet (5); Warren Wolf: vibraphone (1, 2, 4, 5, 7-9); Tim Green: alto sax (9); Christie Dashiell: vocals (4, 7, 8).
Album information
Title: Kemet (The Black Land) | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Outside in Music
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