Emperor March

Approfondimenti

After recording a number of albums during the 1960s and '70s, trumpeter Charles Tolliver waited nearly two decades to record as a leader before he released his striking big-band date With Love in 2007. This 2009 release, recorded live at the Blue Note, is a potent follow-up, though with substantial changes in personnel. His exotic, dramatic "On the Nile" might suggest the influence of McCoy Tyner's works of the '70s, though it was premiered in 1965 by Jackie McLean and previously recorded by its composer in a big-band setting a few years later. This updated version showcases tenorist Marcus Strickland, pianist Stanley Cowell, and the leader in a fiery performance. Tolliver's imaginative scoring of brass and reeds in his "Emperor March," makes it a hip tune that begins as a march but detours into several different avenues, featuring potent solos by alto saxophonist Todd Bashore, the promising young trombonist Michael Dease, and pianist Anthony Wonsey. Tolliver takes over the solo spotlight in "Chedlike," a perky tribute from the '80s to his then-young son, though this is surprisingly its premiere recording. Billy Harper shines on tenor in Tolliver's passionate setting of Billy Eckstine's ballad "I Want to Talk About You," a piece forever associated with John Coltrane's famous live recording, which Harper can't possibly avoid alluding to in part. Beautifully recorded and mixed with an attentive audience, this is an essential release for modern big-band aficionados.
© Ken Dryden /TiVo