Joel Ross - Nublues

February 20, 2024

Label: Blue Note Records, 2024

Personnel - Joel Ross: vibraphone; Immanuel Wilkins: alto saxophone; Jeremy Corren: piano; Gabrielle Garo: flute (#4,5,6); Kanoa Mendenhall: bass; Jeremy Dutton: drums.

Joel Ross, hailed as one of the most electrifying vibraphonists of the contemporary jazz scene, reunites his Good Vibes band for a captivating new recording mostly centered on blues and ballads, and where he mixes in seven new originals with timeless classics from John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk. This is his fourth album on Blue Note, one confirming that he always finds new things to say regardless the musical context.

The album opens with the magical dawning aura of “Early”, a modal reflection where each note resonates with tender compassion before transitioning into Coltrane’s minor blues “Equinox”. Moved by the slow swing feel of the tune, Ross and altoist Immanuel Wilkins display their quality melodicism throughout their demonstrative solos, with drummer Jeremy Dutton adding nimble-footed expansions in the final segment.

The multi-sectional journey of “Mellowdee” is a ballsy move with graceful unisons, tense crescendos, a breezy post-bop passage where Wilkins and Ross trade off bars, and a meditative reflection containing grim arco bass and pensive piano contemplation. It ends up in a ternary vamp with active snare ruffling and a reiterated saxophone catchphrase that gradually slows down.

The evocative flute of Gabrielle Garo is featured on three pieces, namely: “Chant”, a layered duet with Ross on piano; “What Am I Waiting For?”, where sax, flute, and vibes dance together in perfect communion atop subdued bass accompaniment and soft brushing skins; and “Bach (God the Father in Eternity)”, affably harmonized with classical and gospel influences.

In “Nublues”, Ross explores the essence of blues freedom, his vibraphone cascading with chiming reverberation until reaching a dewy avant-jazz kineticism alongside his bandmates. Their interplay remains unwavering until its conclusion. “Ya Know?” exemplifies another spirited blues delivery with outgoing personality. Swinging beautifully, this selection exhibits the right amount of tension, mostly discharged during the hard-driving solos.

At once dynamic and accessible, the group delves into nuanced straight-ahead jazz on the last two tracks: Monk’s “Evidence”, which flows with disarming manipulations of tempo, and Coltrane’s bemusing 10-bar form ballad “Central Park West”, featuring Wilkins in top form.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Early ► 03 - Mellowdee ► 07 - Nublues

Joel Ross - The Parable of the Poet

March 9, 2022

Label: Blue Note Records, 2022

Personnel - Joel Ross: vibraphone; Immanuel Wilkins: alto saxophone; Maria Grand: tenor saxophone; Marquis Hill: trumpet; Kalia Vandever: trombone; Sean Mason: piano; Rick Rosato: bass; Craig Weinrib: drums. Guest - Gabrielle Garo: flute (#2).

The prodigious vibraphone star Joel Ross gathers a solid and collectively functional ensemble for The Parable of the Poet, his third Blue Note release. A frontline with four horns and a sharply focused rhythm section where piano and vibes coexist harmoniously together, resulted in glittering, polished surfaces that bring together emotion and devotion.

“Prayer” and “Benediction”, opener and closer, respectively, fall into this spiritual category. The former, aptly introduced by the bandleader, is a gracefully textured ballad with asymmetric meter and soft horn dynamics. A song of inspiration with the same candid, grateful feelings as the latter tune, which, built on major thirds, takes us from Sean Mason’s introductory piano playing to the brushed velvety delineated by drummer Craig Weinrib and the sparse underpins of bassist Rick Rosato. Ross’ articulated malleting stands out amidst simple unison lines.

The powerful, modal “Wail” also has a discernible spiritual quality to it, benefitting from the devotional expressions of altoist Immanuel Wilkins. His fervor remains vividly bright, even during hushed moments of classical contemplation. Trombonist Kalia Vandever makes the bridge between this piece and “The Impetus (To Be and Do Better)”, where a lenient gospel aura surrounds its richly woven balladic circularity.

The poignant “Guilt” places an unhurried bass figure under its feet, featuring Maria Grand on tenor and understated guest flute by Gabrielle Garo. At a given moment near the end, the tempo shifts from triple to quadruple, and the speed gradually increases, allowing the skittery drummer to intensify his procedures. In turn, “Choices” insinuates risk and fear, starting with solo trumpet, moving through a heavy droning bowed bass, and ending up with plaintive horn lines in the foreground and impressionistic vibes in the back. Additionally, the distinctive “Doxology (Hope)” feels like Charlie Parker’s bop inventions had been struck by a bolt of rhythmic modernism, definitely underscoring the group’s polyrhythmic abilities.

Ross is a serious bandleader, and this album is a combination of his creativity, skill, and generosity, in the sense that he often opts not to step forward and make the music flow collectively.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Prayer ► 04 - Wail ► 06 - Doxology (Hope)

Joel Ross - Who Are You?

December 14, 2020

Label: Blue Note Records, 2020

Personnel - Joel Ross: vibraphone; Immanuel Wilkins: alto saxophone; Jeremy Corren: piano; Kanoa Mendenhall: bass; Jeremy Dutton: drums + guest Brandee Younger: harp.

Only with two albums released as a leader, Joel Ross is already considered one of our era’s most brilliant and lavishly gifted vibraphonists. Following up Kingmaker - his encouraging debut on Blue Note - Who Are You? is a collection of 15 new made-to-measure instrumentals whose result is utterly rewarding. Ross, who moved to New York from Chicago, welcomes bassist Kanoa Mendenhall into the group, expanding the original quartet featuring saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, pianist Jeremy Corren and drummer Jeremy Dutton. Proficient jazz harpist Brandee Younger is also featured on five tracks, including Coltrane’s “After the Rain”, where the sweetness of her sweeps and plucks contribute to achieve spiritual heights.

The record kicks off with “Dream”, a Dutton-penned piece that brings a certain magic spell and dramatic quality. This is followed by Mendenhall’s solo-bass “Calling”, which serves to bridge the path that takes us from the opening piece to the waltzing “Home”, a Ross composition cooled-out by an unspeakable comfort and endearment.

In addition to showcasing Dutton’s rumply drumming, “More?” generates extra excitement by featuring alternate solo segments entrusted to saxophone, piano and vibes. The mind-boggling outside inflections in Wilkins’ warm-blooded playing stand out not only here, but also on a ripe reading of Ambrose Akinmusire’s “Vartha”, in which throbbing bass notes join skittering percussive actions designed with beat-driven detail. Ross churns out a statement full of color, and Dutton concludes the piece with an expedite final stretch. Both contribute heavily to the indomitable energy and all-enveloping sound in the music.

Put forward with stimuli, “Marsheland” exalts sax-vibes unisons and thrives with the surging energy derived from exchanges between Ross and Wilkins.

In contrast with this number, some others denote a super relaxed posture with a melodic grandeur that steeps the listener into the composition with a great deal of warmth. Illustrations of what I’ve just said are “Gato’s Gift”, a dedication to the late Argentinian saxist Gato Barbieri that benefits from Younger’s pristine harp sounds, the ballad-inclined “When My Head is Cold” and “Harmonee”, and “3-1-2”, a homage to Chicago, which concludes the program with melancholy riffery and a modal jazz tradition sometimes redolent of Bobby Hutcherson.

Ross is a storyteller with an ample melodic and harmonic sense. He brings such a broad scope to the jazz vibraphone universe that his music is capable of influencing hearts and minds.

Favorite Tracks:
04 - More? ► 06 - Vartha ► 15 - 3.1.2

Joel Ross - Kingmaker

August 1, 2019

Label: Blue Note Records, 2019

Personnel - Joel Ross: vibraphone; Immanuel Wilkins: alto saxophone; Jeremy Corren: piano; Benjamin Tiberio: electric bass; Jeremy Dutton: drums + guest Gretchen Parlato: vocals.

Chicago-born, Brooklyn-based Joel Ross is a young prodigy who assumes a special place in the current vibraphone pantheon, having collaborated as a sideman in projects led by James Francies, Marquis Hill, Makaya McCraven, and Walter Smith III. Revealing an impressive musical maturity at the age of 23, he roses to prominence with Kingmaker, his debut album recently released on the prestigious Blue Note imprint.

Ross penned ten of the 12 compositions on the album, drawing inspiration from people, relationships, and events, and dedicating many of them to members of his family. The title track, written for his mother, is one of the strongest as it spins with a contemporary edge both in harmony and rhythm. Before segueing into a final vamp populated by ostinatos, alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins boasts his flexible, angular vocabulary with a captivating tone, conjuring up the fervency of Ornette Coleman and the spirituality of Coltrane. Prior to the cited track (the seventh), he had already demonstrated for several times why he is considered one of the most brilliant young voices in jazz today, and the incredibly soulful opening number, “Touched By An Angel”, serves as another showcase for his improvisational prowess. While his unapologetic inside/outside elasticity stuns at every passage, the breathable bass inflations of Benjamin Tiberio cements marvelously with the downtempo flux of drummer Jeremy Dutton, who keeps impressing with tasteful rhythmic developments as the tune approaches the end. On his side, Ross shines in a quasi-celestial vibraphone intro and fascinating solo, and from then on, with an intelligent comping manufactured with prismatic voicings and rich textures.

Fomenting collective empathy in addition to impromptu bravura, “Prince Lynn’s Twin” and “With Whom Do You Learn Trust” are breezy yet firm post-bop encounters where Wilkins and Ross work very close to each other, whether delivering unisons or alternating bars. They embark on the latter action again on “The Grand Struggle Against Fear”, which is also a showcase for pianist Jeremy Corren’s classical-inflected leisure. On “Yana”, a piece marked by curious propulsive nuances, it’s the pianist's turn to take part in the trade-offs alongside the bandleader.

I was left to ask myself if “Is It Love That Inspires You” could be grounded on a samba rhythm. The wooziness created by the hit and recoil of Ross’ lines is enduring, and Dutton almost reaches that boiling swinging point in the instant he starts discoursing with no limitations. The versatile drummer brought one of his pieces to the album. Titled “Grey”, it finds the quintet probing a different ambiance, leaning on innocuous abstraction and dreamy obscurity before opening the horizons. “Fredas Disposition”, written by Ross with lyrics by Bianca Muñiz, features guest vocalist Gretchen Parlato.

Worshipers of fresh and edgy pulsations, Ross and his co-workers use their skills to stitch together a coherent musical narration that expresses a significant dimension within a proper structure. It’s always encouraging when a young talent starts off his career on the right foot.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Touched By An Angel ► 05 - Is It Love That Inspires You ► 07 - Kingmaker