Whereas Jamison Ross’ GRAMMY®-nominated, vocal-heavy 2015
debut disc, Jamison shocked some listeners who knew him primarily as a drummer,
especially after he won the 2012 Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz
International Drum Competition, his sophomore disc, All For One, scheduled for
release on January 26, 2018 via Concord Jazz, will surely solidify his reputation
as one his generation’s brightest vocalists and drummers. WBGO.org has the
track premiere for “Don’t Go to Strangers” here.
All For One boasts a cast of musicians of whom Ross has
developed a strong rapport from touring – pianist Chris Pattishall, guitarist
Rick Lollar (both of whom played on the 2015 debut), bassist Barry Stephenson,
and Cory Irvin on Hammond organ and Fender Rhodes. Ross is particularly
enthusiastic with the addition of Irvin on the organ because he likens that
instrument to an orchestra that would accompany jazz singers like Frank Sinatra
or Billie Holiday. “When I first added the organ in my band, I was inspired by
Marvin Gaye’s 1964 LP, When I’m Alone I Cry,” Ross explains. “[On that album]
he sings jazz standards with a full orchestra. The organ is like my orchestra.
The way I use the organ is a very calculated form. It produces the atmosphere
throughout the record. And that parallels with how I grew up in church. The
organist pulls the emotion out of every tune.”
The disc perfects the intoxicating chemistry of the
29-year-old’s debut, which intermingled blues, jazz, R&B and soul
effortlessly. “All For One is literally the second chapter,” Ross explains
after comparing the success of his debut and the world tour in support of that album
as a “whirlwind of smiles and gratitude.” “There’s no deep way to view All For
One other than it being the second chapter of me revealing myself as a man who
loves as a father, husband, friend, and brother and as an artist who brings
that love to other people while receiving love from my audience.”
For sure, love is a recurring theme on All For One as the
material touches on both the romantic kind and the socio-political aspect of
love that calls for unity among a diverse and, at times, a divisive community.
The album also finds the Jacksonville, Florida born and now New Orleans-based
Ross plowing into the rarefied areas of blues and R&B that seldom gets
investigated by his peers.
Ross begins the disc with mighty shout out to the Crescent
City’s R&B legacy with the vivacious make of “A Mellow Time,” a 1966 tune
written by Allen Toussaint and made famous by Lee Dorsey. “I’m the biggest Lee
Dorsey fan and I’m a huge Allen Toussaint fan,” Ross enthuses. “A lot of tunes
like this taught me how to write. I want to write songs that have stories
inspired by love.
The title track – “All For One” – is another Big Easy-based
song; it’s a rare groover written and recorded in 1993 by Wilson Turbinton,
better known as Willie Tee. The lyrics’ plead for love takes on both amorous
and socio-political overtones that spills over to other songs on the album,
such as Ross’ splendid rendition of Mose Allison’s 1968 classic, “Everybody’s
Cryin’ Mercy.” “It’s a rough time in America. It’s that simple,” Ross explains.
“I know a lot of Mose Allison’s music. I like the way that he could talk the
blues. He didn’t sing the blues; he talked the blues. That song has such a
pivotal message for where we are right now as a nation.”
Fats Waller’s 1936’s “Let’s Sing Again,” which closes All
For One is another old-school gem. On Ross’ makeover, his sanguine singing
soars atop of Irvin’s churchy organ accompaniment – a strategic move that tips
its hat pays to Waller’s church roots in New York as well as Ross’ background
in Jacksonville, Florida, where he grew up singing in his grandfather’s church.
Ross also delves into jazz standards on All For One with his
haunting reading of “Don’t Go to Strangers,” a ballad written by Arthur Kent
and Dave Mann and made famous in 1960 by Etta Jones, and his alluring version
of Ira Gershwin and Kurt Weill’s 1941 classic, “My Ship,” which gains a subtle
country vibe thanks for Lollar’s guitar yawns. “I don’t do a lot of jazz
standards. The covers that I do come more from the obscure blues realm,” Ross
says. “But I honestly love singing ‘Don’t Go to Strangers.’ I sang it at NPR’s
Jazz Night in America tribute to Rudy Van Gelder Concert. That song taught me a
lot about phrasing, which I used on ‘My Ship.’”
All For One contains some exquisite originals too. The
gentle, blues-tinted ballad “Unspoken” is a song Ross penned for his wife,
Adrienne, to express his enduring love for her while he’s on the road. The
jaunty “Call Me” is another original written with Ross’ wife in mind. The
backstory of “Call Me” involves his wife phoning him while he was in the middle
of crafting an infectious boogaloo drum groove. Instead of getting frustrated
by the interruption, Ross allows the phone call from his wife to become an
inspirational force. Ross dedicates the melancholy “Away” to his daughter, Jazz
Aubrielle as he conveys missing her while he’s constantly on the road and
reminding her that his love for her is unending.
The soothing bossa nova, “Safe in Arms of Love,” co-written
with Lollar and Joshua Starkman, and the somber, wordless vocalese ballad
“Tears and Questions” find Ross turning his attention back to more
socio-political issues. Both songs were written while he was touring Australia
with Nicholas Payton then receiving news of the 2016 police killing of Alton
Sterling in Baton Rouge. Ross’
soul-infused “Keep On” offers encouraging balm in the face of tragic upheaval.
Besides the wordless “Tears and Questions,” All For One
contains no instrumentals like its predecessor; nor does it explicitly
showcases Ross’ virtuosity as a drummer. “I started touring and playing on a constant
basis with my band. That didn’t happen before I made my first record,” Ross
explains. “So playing instrumentals was part of my development then. I feel
now, I don’t have to prove that I can play instrumentals anymore nor do I have
to prove my drumming skills. Recording instrumentals is not indicative to what
my artistic concept has grown into. This
album is a result of a personal revelation that we all have the capacity to
love with empathy in a deeper way. The
love you need comes from me and the love I need comes from you. All for one, one for all.”
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