Jimmy Branly Trio: The Meeting

Patience is a commodity which musicians generally have in an unlimited supply because the path from being an unknown musician to a known musician is long and filled with twists and turns, with no guarantee of arriving at a predicted destination. Drummer Jimmy Branly began that journey in his native Cuba and, along the way, recorded with Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Arturo Sandoval, Jane Monheit and Gretchen Parlato among many other top names. In this first release as leader, The Meeting, Branly and his cohorts, guitarist Will Brahm and drummer Sezin-Ahmet Turkmenoglu, have put together a polished and appealing outing which should attract the attention it deserves.

The Meeting's track list features some original compositions by each member of the band, along with some favorite jazz and popular standards, all played in either 4/4 or 6/8 time signatures but imbued with straight-ahead jazz feel and sound. The opening track is "Bis Bis"by guitarist Will Brahm, and is a full on Afro-Cuban adventure. The following two tracks are part of the American standards songbook; "If I Should Lose You" and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes." This trio know their way around this genre and have approached the material to showcase their versatility. On the former number, a Cuban vibe is offered in delightful fashion, while on the latter, the Cuban Danzon musical style is effectively employed.

The title track, "The Meeting," is a Branly original composition with his drumming propelling the number forward to its full effect. The fleet-fingered guitar work by Will Brahm is especially tasty. Tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson wrote "Gazelle" as a swing tune, but Branly decided that it could work as a Latin/fusion number and, guess what, it does.

Band leader Ray Noble wrote "Cherokee" in 1938 to form part of a large composition called "Indian Suite." It was not very long before it became a mainstay for modern jazz. It gained further status in 1945, when Charlie Parker attached himself to the number, but changed the melody and it became one of Parker's touchstone pieces "Ko-Ko." Branly and band do not stray too far from its antecedents, although the time signature changes to 6/8 and they play the piece at a medium tempo. Nonetheless it all works out quite well.