Justin Chart: Night Heat

Saxophonist Justin Chart is known for his cinematic, entirely improvised, live sessions. A stalwart of the Los Angeles, and Southern California, jazz scene, Chart has several superb albums to his credit. His 2024 record, Night Heat, maintains the same level of sophistication and spontaneity. It is culled from two separate appearances with different sidemen and consists of ten, relatively short, tracks that focus mainly on the intricacy of the melodies and the dynamic ensemble sound.

For instance the simmering "Notes to Myself," from an appearance in Hollywood, is bookended by Chart's incandescent and meandering alto. At its core the band's pulsating vamps create a nocturnal mood that bassist Michael Selfridge's walking lines enhance. Meanwhile, drummer Cecil Brooks III makes his cymbals splash like bright lights glimmering in a dark cityscape.

In contrast, "Scatter Good Seeds in the Field," from a Santa Monica concert, is an energetic musical repartee that deftly matches Chart with trumpeter Mike Rocha. The exchanges between the horns build the main theme that Chart embellishes with his brief and warm refrains. Drummer Chris Ross deftly lays down a funky groove while electric bassist Alejandro Arenas bisects the piece with his muscular phrases.

Chart starts the laid-back "Calling Evans" with a poetic solo that is one of the longest on the recording. This lyrical performance also features keyboardist Mike Saul whose suave pianism matches Selfridge's brief extemporization in elegance and eloquence. Another pianist, Bob Remstein, adds vibrancy to the soulful "Forthright" with the swagger of his resonant chords. Rocha gets to stretch out with his burnished tones and clear notes, once more acting as the perfect foil for Chart's mellifluous saxophone.

Urbane and engaging Night Heat is another superlative addition to Chart's discography. These tunes are brilliantly formed musical stories that carry Chart's uniquely expressive style that also gives the release its thematic unity. Intriguingly, within each one are the elements of more expansive harmonic tales. This, however, is left to the audience's imagination which makes each replay all the more stimulating.