Joel Ross – “Gospel Music” review

This is the 5th studio LP from Chicago, Illinois vibraphonist Joel Ross. Signing to Blue Note Records in 2019, he would go on to make his debut for the greatest jazz label of all-time a couple months later with Kingmaker followed by the sophomore effort Who’re You? as well as The Parable of the Poet & most recently Nublues almost a couple years earlier. He would also form The Blue Note Quintet a.k.a. Out Of/Into, coming off the latter’s sophomore effort Motion II to finish January offering some Gospel Music.

“Wisdom is Eternal” brings along alto saxophonist Josh Johnson, tenor saxophonist Maria Grand, bassist Kanoa Mendenhall, drummer Jeremy Dutton & pianist Jeremy Corren for this meditative 4 & a half minute intro dedicated to Barry Harris whereas “Trinity (Father, Son & Holy Spirit)” goes for a heavy post-bop vibe thematically building itself around religion. “Protoevangelium (The 1st Gospel)” sticks out being the longest composition here dedicating itself to the Gospel of James leading into “Hostile” taking it back to the post-bop sound with intense vibraphone playing midway through.

Meanwhile on “The Shadowlands”, we have Joel & company continuing to take the hard bop subgenre of jazz & throwing the unconventional elements it’s preceding style’s successor has become known for in the mix while “Nevertheless” lets the saxophonists shine for the opening 51 seconds until properly letting the bandleader shine throughout the rest of the track’s duration. “Word for Word” reserves the spotlight for the vibraphonist & drummer for a vast majority of the instrumental aside from the saxophones at the earliest & latest parts of it just before “Repentance” compositionally soundtracks the familiar feeling of remorse.

“The Sacred Place” gets the 2nd half of Gospel Music going mostly relying on the piano, vibraphone & drums for roughly 180 seconds or so conceptually taking inspiration from shrines while “A Little Love Goes a Long Way” gives me the impression the sextet freely improvised it although I don’t consider it’s brevity to be an issue with me whatsoever. “Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ” heads for a prominently spiritual jazz direction worshipping our Savior who died for our since while “Calvary” celebrates Black excellence in the form of this Juneteenth single.

Andy Louis takes the microphone all over “The Giver” singing with Joel’s piano backing him that God’s role as a provider of all things while “To the Throne (The Mercy Seat)” instrumentally takes a more subdued approach than a lot of the earlier cuts. The final single “Be Patient” earlier this month continues Gospel Music’s last leg taking a few moments to convey the virtue of forbearance in sonic form but after “The New Man” reveals itself to have some of the most lively performances over the course of the album, “Now & Forevermore” appropriately sends off the full-length with this heavenly grandiose outro.

For his newest offering on the Blue Note imprint, Joel Ross ends January with the most religious musical statement of his entire career composing post-bop’s answer to the biblical story in addition to simultaneously exploring his own faith & the fulfilment of his musical upbringing in the church. His deepened study & exploration into the theological & historical depths of his religious beliefs has really paid off considering he furthermore uses the opportunity of Gospel Music to fuse the intricacy of his earlier output with the accessibility of his recent material.

Score: 4.5/5

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Out Of/Into – “Motion II” review

Out Of/Into is a post-bop quintet consisting of pianist Gerald Clayton, alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, vibraphonist Joel Ross, drummer Kendrick Scott & bassist Matt Brewer. Forming in the winter of 2023, they would go on to introduce themselves last winter in the form of their full-length studio debut album Motion under the greatest jazz label of all-time Blue Note Records & are celebrating it’s upcoming 1-year anniversary this weekend by getting back together for an official sophomore effort succeeding Gerald’s love letter to turntablism 1s & 2s in April.

“Brothers in Arms” opens the 2nd LP with an 8 minute post-bop single having The Blue Note Quintet jamming out & everybody getting their own solos whereas “Finding Ways” gives off a laidback vibe from the prominent saxophone to the vibraphones popping up midway through or the pianos towards the backend of it. “Juno” starts with some bass licks for the first 90 seconds or so, paving way for Immanuel & Joel to trade the spotlight with one another.

Were treated to the 2nd & final single “Familiar Route” to start the other half of Out Of/Into’s sequel to their introductory full-length, taking inspiration from my favorite Herbie Hancock’s 5th album & my personal favorite during his Blue Note tenure Maiden Voyage. “The Catalyst” continues Motion II’s last act by giving off an otherworldly atmosphere until switching into something more playfully catchy & “Nacho Supreme” feels like a love letter to Blue Note output 5 decades earlier.

Developed during a 40 date tour commemorating the 85th anniversary of Blue Note Records’ formation a year earlier, the successor to Out Of/Into’s inaugural opus expands on the direction it’s predecessor traveled down 52 weeks earlier reaching farther than they did when the quintet was properly introduced last winter shaping the future of the post-bop style & jazz music altogether by continuing to embody the spirit of what the finest in the genre has done for almost a century.

Score: 4/5

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Gerald Clayton – “1s & 2s” review

Gerald Clayton is a 41 year old pianist from Los Angeles, California notable for being the son of John Clayton & the nephew of Jeff Clayton from The Clayton Brothers. Introducing himself in 2009 off his full-length debut 2-Shade followed by the sophomore effort Bond as well as a Life Form & Tributary Tales, latter of which caught the attention of Blue Note Records & Gerald made his debut for them in 2023 with Bells on Sand. Continuing to evolve under the greatest jazz label of all-time, the Out Of/Into member’s returning for his 6th full-length LP.

“Angels Speak” combines post-bop, chamber music & neo-soul for a lead single with Elena Pinderhughes playing the flute alongside Joel Ross on the vibraphone & Kendrick Scott on drums whereas “Cinnamon Sugar” moves forward with a heavier lenience towards Latin jazz reminiscent of the late Kenny Dorham’s 3rd album & Blue Note debut Afro-Cuban.

Moving on from there, “Sacrifice Culture” embraces a nu jazz vibe remembering Jon Hassell prior to “How Much Love?” heavily leaning towards Elena’s flautist abilities. The buoyantly angular “Count M” pulls from hip hop culture a little blending a flute & a piano with Marquis Hill playing the trumpet for 2 & a half minutes leading into “Just Above” homaging the late Eric Dolphy’s sole Blue Note offering Out to Lunch! a couple months following his death in 1964.

“Lovingly” finishes the first half of 1s & 2s combining a flute & vibraphones for a 4 minute composition while “Rush” begins the 2nd act by giving percussionist Kassa Overall a few moments to shine throwing it back to Herbie Hancock’s jazz fusion masterpiece Head Hunters. “For Peace” evenly balances elements of nu jazz & electric jazz while the usage of a vocal choir during the backend of “More Always” felt like a refreshing idea to me.

The closer “Space Seas” takes us through a 2 & a half minute exhibition of Kassa’s percussionist skills getting more rhythmic than “Rush” was earlier while “Glass Half Warm” starts the deluxe run shifting the spotlight towards the flute, piano & vibraphones. The final bonus track “Glass Half Cool” feels like a continuation of sorts to “Glass Half Warm”, justifying the album’s key themes of harmonious tension & the idea of coexistence extending out to human relationships & cultures than simply music.

Heavily inspired by the art of turntablism, Gerald Clayton set out to create a musical statement consisting of 7 songs each symbolizing the opposing sides of yin & yang where the A side can be played simultaneously with the B side. The end resulting him ditching the post-bop vibes of Bells on Sand in favor of a jazz fusion/nu jazz sound, joining the likes of Robert Glasper’s whole Black Radio trilogy & the Madlib collection of remixes that got me into Blue Note as a teenager Shades of Blue in bridging jazz music & hip hop culture.

Score: 4.5/5

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