Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Tom Harrell: Roman Nights

227

Tom Harrell: Roman Nights

By

View read count
Tom Harrell: Roman Nights
Since signing with the HighNote label in 2006, Tom Harrell has released the most significant CDs in his three decades-plus of recording. It's no coincidence that, for this same period, he has been leading a true dream band of younger players. His previous output for RCA was of the highest quality, particularly Paradise (2001), a unique date with strings, and the exemplary Live At The Village Vanguard (2002). Lately, Harrell sounds more intensely engaged than ever, and thoroughly enjoying the constant growth and challenges of his music.



Roman Nights reveals all sorts of tasty quirks and dynamics—detailed touches that can be initially overlooked, but which make for sustained originality. The tunes become deeper and more absorbing as the disc goes on.



Harrell has said that he feels the trumpet is the closest instrument to the human voice, and, though cellists and tenor saxophonists might disagree, in his hands it becomes so. Newsweek hails him for his melodic genius, the Penguin Guide for harmonic sophistication, and in the liner notes to Roman Nights, he credits Dizzy Gillespie with educating him to the subtleties of rhythm. That's all here, but his compositional facility, as on many of his earlier recordings, is also most noteworthy. These originals are not throwaway tunes; they tackle contemporary hard bop, creating fresh approaches—twists and turns that keep the improvisers on their toes.



The up-tempo wisp of a line on "Storm Approaching," punctuated by drummer Johnathan Blake, goes by in a flash before digging into the improvisations. "Let The Children Play," made up of a few minimal riffs, is an infectious song that stays in the memory in a good way. The duo acoustic ballad, "Roman Nights," offers a reflective Harrell, and a particularly gorgeous solo from pianist Danny Grissett.



Yet, it isn't until after these three opening tunes that the CD really takes off. By "Study In Sound," Grissett's Fender Rhodes adds a sense of otherworldly mystery. The floating, absolutely intriguing "Harvest Song" develops out of its own logic—like Wayne Shorter's "Nefertiti," Thelonious Monk's "Misterioso," or, for that matter, Leonard Cohen's "Alexandra Leaving." Throughout, Grissett's solos are marvels of light and touch, revealing a thorough knowledge of the tradition but not sounding at all derivative; he knows his voice.



Tenor saxophonist Wayne Escoffery is another player who can't be mistaken for anyone else. His often sticky, legato lines compliment a large sound, unlike the tight-embouchure derived tone of many current tenor players. Harrell's secret weapon, bassist Ugonna Okegwo, has been with the trumpeter for over 12 years. Instead of putting down a background of separate, clearly articulated notes, Okewgo provides a broad bottom that seems, say, like Howlin' Wolf's voice, to emanate from the earth itself. It's there and it's a mighty, profound presence, a deep churning force of relentless forward momentum.



Roman Nights is another step forward in sustaining the extraordinary level this band achieved on its first two HighNote releases, Light On (2007) and Prana Dance (2009).

Track Listing

Storm Approaching; Let the Children Play; Roman Nights; Study in Sound; Agua; Obsession; Harvest Song; Bird in Flight; Year of the Ox.

Personnel

Tom Harrell
trumpet

Tom Harrell: trumpet, flugelhorn; Wayne Escoffery: tenor saxophone; Danny Grissett: piano, Fender Rhodes; Ugonna Okegwo: bass; Johnathan Blake: drums.

Album information

Title: Roman Nights | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: HighNote Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.