Another gem from NYC! A core quintet with guests on individual tracks that really sizzle. McBride and Williams blow like as if there's no tomorrow. This is Jazz Messengers for today and more - much more. Bebop, hard bop, post hard bop, timeless bop.
Lady D: Written for McBride's mother. This is no maudlin piece of sentimentality but a swinging uptempo blast. "She's a very hip lady" explains McBride.
Welcome: Basically introducing the band to a 'live' audience. Strange.
You Put a Smile on my Face: A feature for guitarist Broom.
Bronx Unchained: Written after spending some unexpected time in the Bronx, referencing to it as the birthplace of hip-hop.
Your Eyes Can't Lie: A vocal by J. Hoard. The lyrics capture the shift in a relationship that becomes more than platonic.
Intimacy: Burrs steps up to the plate on a composition inspired by some special relationships McBride's had in his life.
Postlude: "Sometimes you just gotta rock out with your band" says McBride.
Stand Your Ground Pt 1, 2, 3: The sombre bass solo sets the mood for this mini-suite based around the killing of Trayvon Martin. There's an almost Mingus feel in this portrait of yet another case of almost certain injustice by courts in America when their are racial issues involved. This was pre-George Floyd yet equally as controversial and equally damning. Will they ever learn?
Dope (For the steppers); A piece to shake it about.
Girl Get 'Em: A New Orleansy kind of feel with Bentley pumping away on tuba and some blasts all round. B3 sounds and rhythm to rock to - my kind of party music.
Your Eyes Can't Lie: An instrumental version of the earlier track brings an excellent album to a close.
The title Ramon refers to McBride's grandfather. Lance
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