Although this is Charos' debut album his, and some of the band's names looked familiar and I furrowed my brow. Then it clicked! Charos, Mason, McCallister and Rohrer were part of Samara Joy's backing band on her recent Prom concert, broadcast live from the Royal Albert Hall last month.
I was impressed by the support they gave Samara and equally so by their solos.
Needless to say, even before I knew all this, I was reeling from the get-go. It isn't every day I get an album to review that ticks all the boxes but Opening Statement does that and maybe adds a couple of boxes more - I ticked those as well.
At the core of the music is my beloved 1950s Blue Note/Prestige/Contemporary albums - at the core. Charos and co. have built upon that classic era and are well on the way to creating a new classic era of their own. Time will tell.
The album was produced by Jason's mentor, trumpet player Brian Lynch, who also sits in on BL's Bag and the duo do some good-natured jousting. Dafnis Prieto adds a Latin touch to The Crown, Rohrer, like Mason, McCallister and Charos is a natural swinger - they all are!
Impossible to single out any one track - with four swingers and four emotional ballads it's all down to the mood one's in. I'm in a good mood, don't know why I just am, so I'll go for George's Place. It makes Anthropology seem like a slow foxtrot in a muddy field. Love it! Lance
Winged Words; BL's Bag; Love and Loss; Athens by Night; The Crown; This, Tonight; Pacing; George's Place
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