Tom Harrell has been gradually gaining recognition as one of the most consistently creative brassmen in jazz. Although his soft tone can sometimes be a little reminiscent of
Chet Baker,
Harrell's technique is on a higher level and he is a more advanced player.
Harrell is heard in fine form throughout this CD which is split between appearances with his impressive quintet and with a nonet/tentet. The trumpeter, who contributed nine of the ten selections, is quite generous in allocating solo space and in keeping his improvisations relatively brief and to the point. The selections display variety within the hard bop/post bop idiom, ranging from rhythmic pieces such as
"Marimba Song" and "Samba Mate" to the tongue twister "Cheetah" and several numbers which make the augmented group sound like a big band. Of the sidemen, tenor saxophonist
Don Braden and pianist
Kenny Werner have several good spots,
Gary Smulyan's deep-toned baritone (the personnel listing mistakenly has him down as playing bass clarinet) is a highlight of "Blue in One" and
Rob Botti's oboe is an important voice on "Majesty."
Harrell, who plays both piano and overdubbed flugelhorn on a solo interpretation of "Darn That Dream," continues to grow as an original improviser. ~ Scott Yanow
