In 2024, Blue Note celebrated its 85th birthday with a touring quintet of its leading contemporary musicians. At some point during the grueling tour, the members found time to enter a Hollywood studio to capture the magic of their collective sound. Remember that most anniversary celebrations delve into the past in a ‘greatest hits’ or tribute manner. That was not the case with pianist and musical director Gerald Clayton, alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, vibraphonist and marimba player Joel Ross, bassist Matt Brewer, and drummer Kendrick Scott. Most of you will recognize all but Brewer as band leaders on the label, a clear representation of the new generation of players. Wilkins and Ross have collaborated on so many albums that the chemistry foundation was in place from the outset for Motion I, the group’s debut.
Forming this collective is not new for the label. You may recall such names as Out of the Blue, Superblue, New Directions, the Blue Note 7, and the Blue Note All-Stars, populated by musicians such as Kenny Garrett, Roy Hargrove, Jason Moran, Ravi Coltrane, Bill Charlap, Robert Glasper, Lionel Loueke, Ambrose Akinmusire, and so many more. These groups didn’t dwell on the past or the label’s so-called Golden Age but instead pushed the music forward uniquely.
The name Out Of/Into almost says just that – out of the tradition and into the next phase, or you could take it as the ability to play both ‘in’ and ‘out’ as all these quintet members do with seven original works composed by the members. Nothing here is composed given the improvisational talents of these players, but they did have the opportunity to explore every facet during nearly 40 live engagements, as Clayton says, “We pushed one another to reach further and dig deeper night after night…Things grew both tighter and looser.”
Having attended one of the first shows on the tour, descriptions such as ‘musical poetry,’ ‘mesmerizing,’ ‘incredibly deep,’ and ‘in a special zone’ come to mind. The recorded music does those descriptions justice, too. Clayton composed four of the seven, with Ross, Brewer, and Scott contributing one. Clayton’s “Ofafrii,” the lead single, also leads off. Within the first 45 seconds, you distinctly hear all five instruments, with Wilkins’ alto stating the lilting melody before handing off to Ross for an expressive turn. While there are marked solos throughout the album, they don’t necessarily adhere to the conventional head-solo-solo-solo-head format, emphasizing the collective sound and focused interplay. It’s all post-bop, with healthy doses of the ‘out.’ Generally, it is flowing, highly sophisticated, and graceful, but with several intense moments. In the historical context; it lies somewhere between the Wayne Shorter and McCoy Tyner spectrum to the even more adventurous Andrew Hill, Eric Dolphy, and Grachan Moncur III.
The opening to Clayton’s polyrhythmic “Gabaldon’s Glide” features a heady solo from Scott that segues to Ross before Wilkins soulfully floats above the ensemble with a commanding presence that matches Ross and Scott, who are flying, as is Wilkins in his second entrance. Mark this in the ‘intense’ category. Ross’ “Radical” features the quintet in a highly lyrical posture with elegant turns from Wilkins, Clayton, and Ross. The ending with the reverberating vibes is simply gorgeous. Similarly, the group reaches explorative heights on Scott’s “Synchrony,” which is heavy on the percussion end with the drummer’s intro, a vivacious Ross, balanced by the steady play of the others. Brewer’s “Aspiring to Normalcy” is challenging and intricate, navigated deftly by the ensemble. There’s always room for balladic and pensive fare, which Clayton delivers in both the haunting, edgy “ Second Day,” which has outstanding bass work from Brewer and an atmospheric vibe, and the nostalgic, delicate “Bird’s Luck.”
As you’d expect, given these musicians, this is contemporary jazz of the highest order. Better yet, Motion I implies another sequel to look forward to.
