Joe Locke: Makram

One of the leading vibraphone specialists of the 21st century, Joe Locke has won multiple awards and performed with artists as diverse as the Beastie Boys and Ron Carter. It's not just his musicianship on the vibraphone that sets him apart. He is a highly versatile arranger, incorporating soul and international influences. Named after the Lebanese bassist Makram Aboul Hosn, Makram is an eclectic mix of the comforting, the challenging and the familiar.

Locke's customary quartet features pianist Jim Ridl, bassist Lorin Cohen and drummer Samvel Sarkisyan. Both Locke and Ridl also play keyboards and Cohen sometimes uses the electric bass. They all contribute compositions. The seven original tunes are bookended by two standards. The opener is a fast and agile reading of Cole Porter's "Love for Sale." There's plenty of bustling invention from Locke and exhilarating breaks from Ridl and Sarkisyan. The album ends with Locke's solo interpretation of Billy Strayhorn's classic, "Lush Life."

Of the nine tracks on Makram, five are tributes of some form. "Raise Heaven," a poignant homage to the late trumpeter Roy Hargrove, features a three-piece brass arrangement by guest trombonist (and co-producer) Doug Beavers. Joining Beavers are Eric C. Davis on french horn and Jennifer Wharton on bass trombone and tuba. The track unfurls slowly, much like a Hargrove ballad and is one of the album highlights. It is a great example of powerful compositional writing.

"Tushkin" is Sarkisyan's reflective tribute to his Grandfather and features outstanding playing by Tim Garland on soprano sax, bass clarinet and flute. Ridl's ballad, "Song for Vic Juris," begins with some cascading piano and is a homage to the late guitarist. Locke's "Elegy For Us All" again features the three-piece brass section of Beavers, Davis and Wharton. The track represents his concerns at the internal threats to US democracy.

The title track has a strong Middle Eastern flavour enhanced by Samir Nasr Eddine on oud and Bahaa Daou on riq. It features plenty of fluent and inventive solos from Locke and Ridl over Sarkisyan's 5/4 time signature. "Shifting Moon" is anchored by Sarkisyan's exemplary drumming as he employs different rhythms under the complex chord shifts before ending up in 4/4 rock territory. The track is based loosely on John Coltrane's "Satellite." Lorin Cohen's hard-bop "Interwoven Hues" involves Cohen's mobile bass together with a pulsing solo from Ridl. The quartet show they share the same perception here, constantly juggling time and improvisation.

This album hangs together really well. There's plenty packed in there and the nine tracks show ingenuity in terms of tonality, rhythm and running order. The pacing of the material makes it compelling and engaging to listen to. Locke's approach changes from track to track, he shows great sensitivity in the tender moments and great drive when needed. From start to finish, he shows why his reputation is as stellar as it is.

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