One of the best Harold Mabern albums we've heard in years – recorded with a trio of familiar partners, John Webber on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums – but in a freewheeling live setting that has the group really stretching out over some long, extended tracks! Mabern's sense of imagination in this setting is wonderful – and really takes us back to the soulful majesty we loved in his music during the 70s – and although a few numbers reflect the ballad mode of some of Harold's studio albums, even these have an open-ended creativity that really goes beyond the usual! Titles include "Dreaming", "Road Song", "Boogie For Al McShann", "Afro Blue", "Alone Together", and a surprisingly great take on "Sesame Street". ~ Dusty Groove
A stunning showcase for the talents of trumpeter Alex Sipiagin – and maybe his greatest record so far! You might know Alex as the husband of singer Monday Michiru, but he's a hell of a trumpeter in his own right – and really stretches out here in the company of a killer quintet that includes Seamus Blake on tenor, David Kikoski on piano, Boris Kozlov on bass, and Nate Smith on drums – all working in that long, extended style we love so much from this Smalls series! Both Sipiagin and Blake have these well-crafted long solos that hold us rapt with their sense of soul and imagination – and Kikoski, as always, balances his talents beautifully between lyrical lines and harder rhythmic impulses. Titles include "Live Score", "Calming", "Pass", "Returning", and "Videlles". ~ Dusty Groove
Trumpeter Joe Magnarelli's got a hell of a trio on this cooking live date – Mulgrew Miller on piano, Dwayne Burno on bass, and Jason Brown on drums – all of whom craft the tunes with a rhythmic intensity that really seems to set Joe's horn on fire! Magnarelli's always had a great way with a tone, but here he also seems to have a sense of swing that comes through even in the mellower moments – a bit like Art Farmer at times, with maybe a few echoes of Freddie Hubbard in his later years too. Yet Joe's clean, clear approach is still very much at the forefront of the album – and titles include the originals "Third Set" and "Skee" – plus "My Ideal", "Invitation", and "I'll Find You". ~ Dusty Groove
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