Reflections on ballads and blues but with the developing voice of a jazz giant.
Jeremy Pelt is a relatively quiet man. It is this quiet determination as a searching artist that has lead Pelt to release Soul, arguably his finest recording to date. While Pelt's instrumental talent has been developing rapidly much like his steady rise through the jazz ranks, Pelt is a prolific composer having written six of the eight tunes on his third release for HighNote.
Soul finds Pelt reaching deep inside yet never venturing close to the edge of the self indulgent as is common place with other artists tackling a work of this nature. Jeremy Pelt seems to have taken great care that Soul is very much a collaborative ensemble recording where each member of this stellar quintet is given ample room to shine. Drummer Gerald Cleaver and pianist Danny Grissett anchor an incredibly tight rhythm section with rich texture and a lyrical finesse that seem to push Pelt and tenor saxophonist J.D. Allen to the next level of artistic expression. Shifting harmonics and reinvented blues forms and functionality only add to the celebration of Pelt's interpretations and a firm statement of his own musical identity.
Cerebral jazz.
Jeremy Pelt approaches his own performance with a zen like less is more approach. Notes are not wasted, the music is not rushed but instead happens organically as an incredibly beautiful ebb and flow slowly begins to take develop. Pelt and Allen's musical symmetry is featured on the wistful "The Ballad of Ichabod Crane" with a masterclass on counterpoint and melody. "The Story" finds Pelt and Allen swinging as one harmonious voice continuing to push each other and the music while again never forcing the tunes past the accessible point of no return. The addition of vocalist Joanna Pascale and her interpretation of the Sammy Cahn tune "Moondrift" is simply a stroke of musical genius. There are no vocal pyrotechnics here, Pascale plays it straight and delivers an incredibly tasteful performance that lingers long after the tune is over. The George Cables tune "Sweet Rita" carries a unique dynamic tension while an exploratory on the more personal side of what is unique to the theoretical makeup of the blues takes shape.
Soul seems to be the mirror image of Pelt's musical soul. There is a slow, methodical and incredibly intoxicating development to Pelt's playing. While the quintet establishes themselves as a formidable force working the straight ahead side of the jazz street, Jeremy Pelt has now raised the bar for other trumpet players to follow.
5 Stars.
A flawless recording.
A magnificent release showcasing that old school can indeed become new cool in the hands of a master such as Jeremy Pelt.
Tracks: Second Love; The Ballad of Ichabod Crane; Sweet Rita Suite Part 2: Her Soul; The Tempest; The Story; Moondrift; What's Wrong Is Right; Tonight.
Personnel: Jeremy Pelt: trumpet, flugelhorn; JD Allen: tenor saxophone (except 8); Danny Grissett: piano; Dwayne Burno: bass; Gerald Cleaver: drums; Joanna Pascale: vocal (6).
