Nicholas Payton – trumpet
Steve Wilson – alto saxophone, flute
Ravi Coltrane – tenor saxophone
Peter Bernstein – guitar
Bill Charlap – piano
Peter Washington – bass
Lewis Nash – drums
Release Date: January 13th, 2009
Label: Blue Note
Blue Note just turned 70, an impressive milestone for one of the most venerable jazz labels around. To commemorate their anniversary they add one more notch to their belt with Mosaic: A Celebration of Blue Note Records. Rather than just compile existing tracks though, they conceived an all-star band to revisit its material. The group, aptly called the The Blue Note 7, operates under the musical direction of the label's own Bill Charlap. Joining the pianist is an impressive roster of players including the great New York guitarist Peter Bernstein, New Orleans native Nicholas Payton on trumpet, two very modern saxophonists Ravi Coltrane and Steve Wilson, with Charlap's regular bassist Peter Washington and the wonderful drummer Lewis Nash. This band is currently on a national tour (details here: http://www.thebluenote7.com).
What makes this release striking is the quality of the band's arrangements. Joe Henderson's Inner Urge finds itself altered via a driving bass pattern that creeps across the bar line giving it a fresh odd-meter feel (without actually leaving 4/4 time). On Dolphin Dance, after a soaring trumpet solo by Payton, Charlap and Bernstein contribute a surprise guitar/piano soli to give the tune a nice endcap. Bernstein opens upon "Idle Moments", Charlap does the same on "Search for Peace" and "Criss Cross". Overall, Mosaic is a beautiful new recording of classic music placed in a contemporary context. Check it out.
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