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Brad Goode: The Unknown
ByTrumpeter Brad Goode, on the evidence of the excellent The Unknown, is one of those deserving players.
This skillfully conceived album sets a modern tone from the opener, "Decathexis," straight through to the closer, "Shiprock," via seven engaging Goode originals and three surprising cover choices. Continuity of sound and approach isas alwaysa big plus when crafting a collection of tunes. The Unknown has this. It is a quartet outing, a rhythm section and Goode's trumpet that sounds, on an initial spin, like a pared-down, Miles Davis outing from the 1980s, with Jeff Jenkins electric keyboards sparkling in the creationin league with bassist Seth Lewis and drummer Paa Kowsome deep grooves.
"Pain," is a tune written by Goode in commemoration of the passing of trombonist Curtis Fuller. The sound is expansive. The production is lush, considering the minimalist lineup. Post-production sweetening is probably at play, with trumpet overdubs and enhanced key work. The atmosphere here and throughout is terrificluminous in a subtle way, a production mode that does not call attention to itself yet elevates the music marvelously.
The covers included here might seem odd choices, for those not familiar with some of the songs featured on Creed Taylor's CTI Recordings, like George Benson's 1972 album, White Rabbit, which took its title tune from the Jefferson Airplane songbook and also included the Mama and the Papas' "California Dreamin.'" This was a pair of pop tunes regarded by many as not worthy of a jazz rendition, but the albumwith these inclusions some might say because of them was hugely successful, as was guitarist Wes Montgomery's (perhaps for the same reason) A Day In the Life (CTI, 1967), that included the Beatles' title tune as well as "Eleanor Rigby." So what are Goode's cover choices? "The Windmills of Your Mind," a Michel Legrand composition covered by Dusty Springfield and Jose Felciano. Goode and company give the song a smooth flow, with Goode's wistful trumpet enmeshed in a gorgeous arrangement. Too sweet for a jazz album. Hardly.
Other covers: a marching, fanfare-ish take on Caetano Veloso's "Joia," and Janis Ian's 1975 pop hit "At Seventeen." This latter tune features Goode's achingly beautiful muted horn, telling the story of a youthful outsider looking in at the more socially adept and ostensibly more fortunate among us. The spare, slightly sweetened arrangement works perfectly.
"Shiprock" closes things out. New Mexico's Shiprock is a desert rock formation considered sacred by the Navajo people. In their folklore, human beings descended to Earth from the sky here, and now we have a celebratory soundtrack to the event, to close out an inspired album that plays out as a nicely conceived and wonderfully executed musical vision of Brad Goode.
Track Listing
Decathexis; Pain; The Windmills of Your Mind; Pentacles; COVID Nightmare; Jóia; Khufu's Horizon; The Unknown; At Seventeen; Shiprock.
Personnel
Album information
Title: The Unknown | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Origin Records
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Brad Goode
Album Review
Dan McClenaghan
The Unknown
Origin Records
pat metheny
brad mehldau
Ralph Alessi
Miles Davis
Jeff Jenkins
Seth Lewis
Curtis Fuller