Noah Halpern: The Embrace Vol. 1

Since arriving in New York to study at Juilliard in 2014, trumpeter Noah Halpern has steadily shouldered his way into the vibrant city club scene, providing the truest proving ground for him in ways that higher education could never present. His musical upbringing in Seattle was two-fold as well, being raised in the nationally acclaimed high school program at Roosevelt High School, while diving into the inspired local scene there that bears a great trumpet lineage beginning with Quincy Jones and Floyd Standifer, and in modern times, with Jay Thomas and Thomas Marriott. Like Marriott before him, Halpern entered and won the Carmine Caruso International Trumpet Competition in 2023, twenty-five years after his forebearer. While attempting to establish roots in New York, Halpern has stoked the fires of his true Seattle roots in the collective ensemble, Meridian Odyssey that has produced two albums on the Origin Records label. With The Embrace, Vol. One, Halpern ventures out on his own supported by mates from both coasts, with a collection of original tunes penned during his tenure in Gotham.

As a musician, Halpern has a pure trumpet sound that is rare in current times and historically. There are greats of the instrument that achieve that distinction with probing eclecticism and superior compositional skills, bearing the trademarks of discovery and originality without having that "sound" that immediately demands your attention. That is something Halpern can put in his hip pocket and use as a talisman to greater achievement—that no matter what he decides to deliver to his listeners, that delivery is enhanced by a sound that provides depth and beauty as its notable trademarks.

Perhaps the best decision Halpern made for his first recording as a leader was to enlist the accompaniment of another generational talent in pianist Micah Thomas. Add to that, rising star bassist Tyrone Allen II, and explosive drummer Dominick "Domo" Branch, and you have a formula for some sparks to fly. Fellow New York resident and Seattle native Santosh Sharma completes a sonic front line on tenor saxophone.

The opener, "Midnight Runners," storms out of the starting gate with a head of steam, featuring vibrant solos from Halpern and Thomas that are as abstract as they are melodically enhanced. The piece presents the band as a whole as an opener should and does so with a shove and a push in the direction of a hard-swinging, post-bop adventure.

With "Phoenix," we are fully introduced to the aforementioned rare bird that is Halpern's actual sound on his instrument. While his facility operates with well-trained precision, his sound and probing insights into his music are qualities gathered outside of the institutional realm. Halpern has not been afraid to view his art as part of his wide-open approach to life, not the entirety of it. His time spent playing with a wide swath of players in Manhattan and Brooklyn night spots—or for that matter, in isolation in Alaska during the pandemic with his Meridian Odyssey brothers—were all factors that realigned his focus as a musician. Hip music comes from hip people. That quality supersedes anything else one may offer about the album, including probes into the trumpeter's compositional values. Halpern could have chosen any number of tunes for the band to dive into, all would have led the listener to the same happy spot—plugged into a quintet of great talent that seemingly has the entirety of its intrepid journey ahead of it.

"Someday Soon/Lullaby" is the ballad offered by Halpern and may be the finest of his compositions on the record. There is an interconnectedness between composer and musician here, at an excellent and tender spot. While any ballad reveals the vulnerabilities of a musician, none can be as revelatory as one born from personal experience. Halpern's solo points skyward and provides the emotive high point of the album's nine tunes.

There are two cookers on the recording, "PGB," and "Wham Lurk," the latter being the single release that preceded the complete album. The former applies a sort of bop logic to a more angular rhythmic byline and features Halpern's front-line partner in tenorist Sharma. There is no doubt as to Sharma's technical prowess nor his often ferocious approach. His solos are filled with intense, tightly woven, speed induced clusters that emit from the full range of his instrument. They are articulated with uncommon precision, turning potential washes of sound into poetic rapid-fire phrases. In meeting the young saxophonist, it is easy to see the link between his personality socially, and the same musically. It is not his only narrative mechanism however, as one can hear on the reflective "Phoenix." Sharma colors the piece with sumptuous long tones, along with Halpern's clear statement on trumpet.

"Wham Lurk" may well be the signature tune of the album, matching sound writing with stellar playing. Without chordal support, Santosh ventures out between Allen's thunder and Branch's subtle undercurrent. Thomas grabs the reins next, riding the winding synchronicity of the piece and placing the momentum into the hands of the bandleader to ornament and take out. The tune is everything one familiar with the players would expect—an exercise in power and grace.

The Embrace Vol. 1 is Halpern introducing himself to the jazz community as a leader, one would hope, on an international scale. His talent as a trumpeter is unquestioned, tempered by a dynamic feel for spontaneous composition. In a lyrical sense, his penchant for improvisation is more on point melodically than his written composition, yet each brings an emotional honesty that is rare and satisfying for the listener. That being said, Halpern is unafraid, open and bound to elevate all aspects of his artistry in leaps and bounds. There is always something more intriguing in the half light of the future.

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