This is all very inspirational and I’m adding it to my list of top US jazz albums this year straight away.
Why so? I think it’s the mood, the dexterity and the sheer compositional skill in delivering these contrafacts based on classic work of Wayne Shorter (1933-2023). And then there’s the playing.
‘Self Portrait’ is based on ‘Miyako.’
‘Prince of Light’ is based on ‘Prince of Darkness.’
‘Living Still’ on ‘Dance Cadaverous’ and so on.
Palmer, who hails from High Point, North Carolina – you can see him acting in the early Damien Chazelle film Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench – has a very well written blog and in it describes another tune ‘3rd Shift’ that appears on the album:
“I wrote this tune for my mom. For over 20 years, my mom worked the 3rd Shift in the textile industry. This tune is a waltz that’s a contrafact (a tune that’s based on the chord changes of another tune) of Wayne Shorter’s tune entitled Night Dreamer. But my mom isn’t someone to be sleeping on the job!!”
Jason Palmer
While trumpet is the main focus there’s some really engrossing piano playing from Kevin Harris, an associate professor at Berklee, especially on ‘From Bones to Bread’ which is based on Shorter’s ‘Fee Fi Fo Fum.’
MORE FROM MARLBANK
10 must hear jazz albums from the US in 2025
https://open.spotify.com/album/3ske4zgFlCKi4NiYdOEDFf?si=XiKs_aG7Q_WEL-A9Xjnx8A
1/Jeremy Pelt, Woven, High Note
https://open.spotify.com/album/0X4iyYATnXLm1IvSNp3bfq?si=m_VohqVwQ4uhYzN0jRG6WQ
2/Fred Hersch, The Surrounding Green, ECM
https://open.spotify.com/album/7jH6j03bgQIOsVG3Haw5kZ?si=xsxmwiYFS_aUfOUSSGJU6Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er1qd8qRTxQ
4/Anthony Wilson Nonet, House of the Singing Blossoms, Sam First
https://open.spotify.com/album/2n3zYjQ5meK3Ah1lSndWcI?si=p0JThad4RUWfdXvaw3x-ow
5/Branford Marsalis Quartet, Belonging, Blue Note
https://open.spotify.com/album/3vkNGUlipZ7lxgJzaO6VXy?si=SYEdj_rtS6a41GvK5I6zpQ
6/Christian McBride, Without Further Ado Vol 1, Mack Avenue
https://open.spotify.com/album/0khUXHgoKdI151LT0P8i6a?si=pEaQPi-ASpOFer3ipZ6e3A
7/John O’Gallagher, Ancestral, Whirlwind
https://open.spotify.com/album/6Ug4LyNXrVc7W1B4qZlKG4?si=c8e44ff4d9e84bbe
8/Brandon Woody, For The Love Of It All, Blue Note
https://open.spotify.com/album/2toluYLW38SlSkSYLHscpR?si=cOdDucoxSSaEU5ihTf30ig
9/Joshua Redman, Words Fall Short, Blue Note
https://open.spotify.com/album/4A0ngHXVaGhKq95Q0DbzOD?si=6b45f46ccb624b7e
10/Jason Palmer and Kevin Harris, Shorter Songs, SteepleChase
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