[www.gregglassman.com]:
(Greg Glassman, trumpet; Dave Pier, piano; Danton Boller, bass; Quincy Davis, drums; Special Guests: Clark Terry, Marcus Belgrave, Stacy Dillard)
We reviewed the previous Glassman CD in the past, and the trumpeter/composer sounds even better this time around. The first thing to be noticed here is the presence of Clark Terry. Any trumpet player who gets that master to kick in for one of his recording sessions, plus say nice things about him in the note booklet, has to be an artist worth listening to closely! Both Terry on Flugelhorn and Belgrave on trumpet join in on the short introductory track and then return at the end of the album for a terrific, delightfully-voiced three-trumpet style on Phalanges – a tune by Terry.
The balance of originals by Glassman the composer is about half and half over the 11 tracks, and his selection of other tracks by such as Ellington, Monk and Mal Waldron certainly can’t be criticized. The longest track is the centrally-located Commit – a largely blues-based blowing session. The Monk tune Introspection was not terribly familiar to me but clearly sounds like something from the pen of the quirky pianist. Waldron’s Soul Eyes gets a deeply soul full interpretation from the quartet.
Glassman’s tone is clean and direct, with little attempt at un-brassy sounds, and the general approach is that of mainstream, straight-ahead modern jazz. Pianist Pier proves a worthy partner in the quartet, coming up with some fine solo work on many of the tracks. Sonics are most satisfactory, especially that of the trumpets. Notwithstanding the CD’s title, the whole thing isn’t that wild, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s to the good.
(New Orleans, The Moon’s Axis, Nexxt, I Got It Bad, Jazz from Rock Central, Commit, Introspection, Soul Eyes, Back in Gown, What It Was, Phalanges.
– John Henry