Unlock the publisher's digest free
Roula Khalaf, editor -in -chief of the FT, selects her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Brandon Woody, the last young American trumpeter to break out on the international scene, was raised and is still based in Baltimore. He abandoned the Manhattan School of Music in 2018 and perfected his skills by working the black music scene of his hometown. A jazz one with observation, he now makes his debut to Blue Note with an exciting mixture of rooted modernism and contemporary beats.
The Woody trumpet style is a singular composite of current leading stylists. The impertic confidence of the chief Xian Atunde Adjuah (formerly Christian Scott) is a characteristic, just like the moving whispers of Kenyon Harrold and Akinmusic Ambrose of Melancholia. Here, Woody merges its daring and copper subtleties with the rattle of hip-hop rhythms, spacious bass lines and a revealing narrative dynamic. The theme around love and delivered by a cast of unknowns, the whole infallibly goes from soft lyricism to fanfaron virtuosity.
The album begins with a dispersion of the piano agreements before taking it through anxiety and the moments of calm which are made more poignant by the discreet delivery by the singer Imani-Grace of the word of the title in “Never Gonna Flay Flay”. The edifying trumpet supports “out of reach of our eyes” follow, with walking bass notes. “Wisdom: Terrace on St Paul Street”, burns slowly with an inner fire, the repeated melody of “Perseverance” is on an agitation of rhythmic complexity and the subtle curves of “We, Ota Benga” form the ballad of the album.
The technical installations of Woody and the fusion of impressions present and past, but it is the narrative control of his working group Upendo which brings the details of the aesthetics of Woody. The bass player Michael Saunders and the drummer Quincy Phillips offer a masterclass of net dynamics, stretched textures and skelter Helter rhythms, and Troy Long adds emotional depth on the piano, organ and Fender Rhodes.
The set ends with the melody Claire and the confident arc of the single of the album “Real Love, PT 1”. Woody's breathtaking lines speak with Saunders bass, the emotions go up and the piece gently fades to a single trumpet note.
★★★★ ☆
“ For the love of all this '' is published by Blue Note
