Rob Parton's Ensemble 9+: Relentless

Rob Parton, who once led the Chicago area's marvelous JazzTech big band, has since moved on to other pursuits, namely mentoring the next generation of jazz trumpeters at the stellar University of North Texas Jazz Lab in Denton. Having released eleven widely acclaimed albums with the JazzTech band, Parton has pared the lineup to nine (plus) on Relentless, enlisting the skills and talents of colleagues at UNT and drawing on the large talent pool of first-call musicians in the Dallas-Fort worth area. In all, seventeen world-class artists take part on various numbers, enhancing powerful arrangements by Mike Tomaro, Rich De Rosa, Tom Matta and half a dozen others.

"Relentless" is an apt title, as that describes the ensemble's m.o. from the start, trumpeter DJ Rice's dynamic "Open for Business," on which bassist Lynn Seaton and drummer Quincy Davis lay down an unwavering foundation for blistering solos by tenor Shelley Carol, trumpeter Chris VanLeeuwen and pianist Fred Sanders, plus a wordless vocal by Rosanna Eckert. Parton, an adaptable master who plays lead and jazz with equal aplomb, solos sharply on Freddie Hubbard's Latin-leaning "Straight Life" (arranged by DeRosa) and delivers some high-note licks to ice the cake. The blues is next—Billy Strayhorn's "Intimacy of the Blues"—and it's another another winner, deftly arranged by Matta and introduced by Seaton before the avidly swinging ensemble complements bright statements by Carol and trombonist Rodney Booth who uses a plunger mute in the finest Ellington tradition.

Ariel Glassman wrote and scored the title track, yet another insistent crowd-pleaser on which Eckert adds a wordless vocal (and scats) while Parton and alto Brad Leali add their impressive solo voices. Tomaro arranged (and is given composer's credit) for Gil Fuller's bop-era swinger, "Ray's Idea," whose elastic soloists are Leali, Sanders, Davis and trombonist Tony Baker. Ron Ruvio composed and arranged "Shorter Images," an enticing mid-tempo nod to the legendary saxophonist of that name (perceptive solos courtesy of Carol, Van Leeuwen and Sanders), which precedes Josh Cossette's seductive "Smoke and Mirrors," on which Carol, Van Leeuwen and Sanders shine again while Seaton ensures a steady pulse. The aforementioned Wayne Shorter wrote (and Tomaro arranged) "Ping Pong," an unbridled swinger with ample blowing room for Carol, Van Leeuwen and Sanders who share the honors for the third number in a row.

Alto Mike Smith and Parton solo on the leader's luminous and warmhearted tribute to the late tenor saxophonist Mark Colby, for many years a standout in the JazzTech starting lineup, before the ensemble wraps the session with one more flag-waver, Augustine Alonso's buoyant "No Response," on which Carol, Leali, Parton and Booth share solo honors. Yes, Parton has moved on; and yes, this is not the JazzTech band of years gone by. But on Relentless, Parton and his new array of talented colleagues confirm beyond any doubt that Ensemble 9+ comes about as close to rekindling the expertise and excitement of the JazzTech years as one could envision.