Jeremy Pelt, Woven, HighNote *****

In a class of his own

Given that Jeremy Pelt is in a class of his own – the greatest hard bop trumpeter in the Freddie Hubbard mould that we know of anywhere – his new albums end up competing with his old albums. No one else’s matter in that regard.

We’ve heard the trumpeter live a few times – the first time at University College School’s Lund theatre in 2009 and more recently well prior of the Lockdown years in Ronnie Scott’s.

That time at Ronnie’s a decade ago his rendition of ‘Nephthys’ (joked Pelt that night when he chatted to the audience: ”Did someone say Netflix?”) blew us away. It’s one of his greatest compositions but there is plenty of competition on Woven to compete with such a claim. It’s the fluttering scalar ascents he does so well and that immaculate sense of timing he shares with other greats such as Terence Blanchard.

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Instantly persuasive, monumental, memorable

An instantly persuasive sound that melds minor mode tonalities, fleet of foot scurrying runs and slow down romantic interludes Pelt keeps you guessing and yet thoroughly involved.

The 48 year old who hails from California graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston and began his career in earnest in New York in the late-1990s.

Woven has nine tracks opening with a brief prologue and a longer ‘Rhapsody’ that touches on doo-wop styled vocalisations from the Barcelona born Mar Vilaseca.

Strong vibes and drumming contributions within the sound

Vibes player Jalen Baker is significant in the sound and there’s great drumming from a young star – surely – of the future Jared Spears.

Synths in the blend are from electronica artist Marie-Ann Hedonia whose febrile Quiet Time was released last year prevent the album from being too much of an all-in period piece although many fans will prefer the purist hard bop passages. Pelt’s style is very much in touch with classic post-Second World War modernistic jazz. He knows you can never throw out the baby with the bathwater. He also avoids being too trad. Above all his balladry is timeless and instrumentalism full of grace and elegance.

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