July 4 - July 11, 1 9 9 6

| clubs by night | clubs directory | bands in town | reviews and features | concerts | hot links |


Hot licks

Trumpeter Tom Harrell creates a Labyrinth to lose oneself in

by Ed Hazell

The virtues of trumpeter Tom Harrell sneak up on you. He's not one to bowl you over with flashy runs or scorching high notes. He's more likely to take you quietly into his confidence and win you with his impeccable craftsmanship and the intimacy of his sound. Harrell's latest effort, Labyrinth (RCA), showcases his abilities as a composer-arranger and instrumentalist more completely than any of his previous releases.

Indications of his full range are scattered over albums he's recorded as a sideman since the early '70s. A trumpeter since he was 13, the 50-year-old Harrell has run the gamut of post-bop jazz. Most recently he's appeared on Joe Lovano's Quartets at the Village Vanguard (Blue Note), putting an exceptionally lyrical spin on free jazz. He's also mastered hard bop, working in the band of Horace Silver from 1973 to 1977 and with alto-saxophonist Phil Woods from 1983 to 1989. And as a member of the Lee Konitz Nonette and the 1980s edition of bassist Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra, he has covered a wide spectrum of large-ensemble approaches.

All the paths Harrell has followed over the past 25 years converge in Labyrinth. Four quintet tracks balance his exquisite melodicism with tenor-saxophonist Don Braden and the muscular rhythm section of pianist Kenny Werner, bassist Larry Grenadier, and drummer Billy Hart. On five tracks this core ensemble is joined by an all-star horn section that includes Lovano, reed player Gary Smulyan, and trombonist Steve Turre, spotlighting Harrell's firm command of writing and arranging.

The writing ranges from free jazz to Latin jazz, with ballads and one standard thrown in for good measure. But even the more open tunes, like "Cheetah" and Lovano's feature, "Sun Cycle," are tightly constructed with melodies that give improvisers plenty of unifying material to work with. The ensemble writing for the larger group is sleek and transparent. The individual lines on "Hot Licks on the Sidewalk" stand out with exceptional clarity, intertwining in pleasing patterns that create shifting internal harmonies. Harrell understands Latin jazz especially well: he writes catchy tunes in which the buoyancy of the beat resonates with the inner core of optimism and strength that smolders within his often pensive trumpet sound.

That sound has a dark edge, but there's an inner glow that seeps out from deep within. Vibratoless and plainly stated, each note is like a sunrise. And each note is perfectly articulated, shaped, and colored. You have to look to Kenny Dorham or Art Farmer to find another trumpeter who can match Harrell's single-minded focus on making each note beautiful. His reading of "Darn That Dream," on which he overdubs the piano accompaniment himself, is like a window on the tune -- his trumpet serves as a transparent glass through which the tune passes.

And his silky tone clothes solos of seemingly effortless lyricism. Any art this distilled, this purged of extraneous notes, is the result of skills honed through years of hard work. His solo on "Samba Mati" displays pinpoint control of pacing, repetition, and tonal inflection. His ascending lines pick their way upward deliberately, leaping from note to note like a hiker jumping from rock to rock while crossing a stream. Coiling tendrils of melody display a fine control of time as they blossom into long held tones that momentarily slow his forward momentum. Harrell makes special use of silence on "Blue in One," creating tension and release with his note placement and providing space in which to hang each of his burnished phrases. His subtle use of quotes and his imaginative variations of written themes help unify the solos on "Marimba Song" and "Hot Licks on the Sidewalk," so that they keep a songlike shape while preserving the immediacy of improvisation.

The entire line-up plays at the same high level. The junior member of the quintet, saxophonist (and Harvard grad) Braden, continues to grow more confident, allowing his boldly sculpted lines to take surprising twists rather than obvious routes. The rhythm section supplies lots of muscle power without overwhelming the soloists. Drummer Hart gets a deep sound and feeds cross-rhythms into the mix without creating clutter and confusion. Pianist Werner's comping, varied but not busy, displays a near telepathic rapport with Harrell, especially on "Blue in One."

Tom Harrell's matter-of-fact, even humble, virtuosity has long made him a musician's musician. This album should go a long way toward broadening his audience.


The Tom Harrell Quintet with Don Braden, Kenny Werner, Larry Grenadier, and drummer Tony Reedus appears at the Regattabar next Friday, July 12.

[footer]
| What's New | About the Phoenix | Home Page | Search | Feedback |
Copyright © 1996 The Phoenix Media/Communications Group. All rights reserved.