- Jeremy Pelt: trumpet
- George Cables: piano
- Peter Washington: bass
Collections of ballads are not unusual for jazz artists. At some point every musician probably feels the need to just slow things down a bit and be mellow. This recording surely fits that description. And in that sense, it isn’t particularly original. All but three of the tunes are standards so this isn’t primarily a collection of new or original ballads either. But there is something very unique about this outing. It’s the makeup of the band. Trumpet, piano and bass! That’s right… no drums. One can’t help but take note of the results. To be sure, there are multiple points where I find myself fully expecting some smooth brush-work or a soft cymbal to punctuate the sound, but it never does. So does that take something away from the music… or could it be that it actually adds something? Pelt claims the latter to be the case for two reasons. The slimmed down structure of this trio results in giving the three “closer communication”. Secondly, it made formulating arrangements “much more challenging”. Working with fewer ingredients forces the arranger to work a little harder and Pelt seems to have embraced this challenge. I could add a third benefit of this trio structure. It gives each instrument a more prominent place in the overall sound. In particular, drums, piano and a dancing horn can often sort of drown out the bass. But in this configuration the bass is always very present; never blending off into the background. Perhaps the album title has as much to do with the band chemistry as it does some sort of romantic theme.
On a personal front I tend to enjoy fast paced jazz more than ballads and would typically conclude that the standard practice of including 1 or 2 in an album is about the right balance. I just feel more energized by lively music. At the same time, this latest release by Pelt maintains a consistency of sound that is neither dull or dreary. No, I would thing words like lush, rich, intricate and solid would better describe what I’m hearing. And did I mention smooth? From start to finish… oh so smooth! Check it out. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Jim's Jazz Notes 