Brandon Sanders: Lasting Impression

Brandon Sanders' 2025 release, Lasting Impression, is a heartfelt reaffirmation of the core values that have shaped jazz drumming for generations. Instead of chasing novelty for its own sake, Sanders grounds the album in straightforward clarity that honours the legacy of those countless craftsmen who viewed swing as a personal responsibility. From the opening bars, he demonstrates he is a drummer dedicated to supporting the ensemble and allowing the music to breathe. The stellar band, assembled for this purpose, includes vibraphonist Warren Wolf, tenor saxophonist Stacy Dillard, pianist Eric Scott Reed, and bassist Eric Wheeler. Also participating are Grammy-nominated vocalist Jazzmeia Horn, along with pianist Tyler Bullock and bassist Ameen Saleem.

The repertoire has been carefully selected, blending original compositions with well-known standards, each approached with an ear for continuity rather than reinvention, starting with the Bobby Hutcherson track "8/4 Beat." The odd-meter title is more rhetorical than aggressive as the band grooves with the ease of musicians who have internalized the pattern. Vibraphonist Wolf flashes his mallets over the bars in a lively solo, and Dillard's tenor lines tighten into bebop-informed runs. Reed's chunky voicings lead Sanders into excursions that establish his rhythmic personality.

Sanders' original title track, "Lasting Impression," balances the head with carefully paced improvisations starting with Wolf, who delivers his with a ringing, centred tone that provides almost architectural clarity. Dillard's tenor statement enters with a round, slightly grainy sound that anchors the tune, while Reed's piano completes the arc with a light but decisive touch, emphasizing inner-voice movement.

Horn joins the band for the first of two tracks, beginning with the George and Ira Gershwin standard "Our Love Is Here to Stay."  In this warm classic reading of the song, Horn's vocal phrasing favours breath and space, and the ensemble frames her with sympathetic restraint. Sanders uses brushes and light touches to create a soft undercurrent as Wolf and Dillard provide responsive solos that colour the lines rather than compete. Her other track is the Stevie Wonder classic "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do) and she is backed by a quartet of Sanders, Wolf, Bullock and Saleem. Horn delivers the tune with a pop-soul inflection while retaining an acoustic jazz sensibility. Wolf and Bullock add colour with the latter offering a solo in a robust, vigorous style filled with lyrical ideas and chord patterns. Throughout, Sanders supplies gentle, pocket-oriented support.

Of particular interest is the respectful, near-noir interpretation of the Mal Waldron ballad "Soul Eyes." Sanders demonstrates restraint as his brushes and cymbal work create an intimate room sound. The soloists prioritise melodic contour over harmonic gymnastics. Dillard's horn notes linger, and Reed's voicings are spare and resonant.

The album is not an attempt to surpass relevance but a reaffirmation of lasting values: swing, balance, melodic clarity, and ensemble unity.