Description
Trumpeter Tom Harrell’s new disc comes on the heels of two phenomenal previous releases, First Impressions (the subject of a 5-star review in the December 2015 issue of DownBeat) and 2016’s Something Gold, Something Blue. Those albums had clear and abundant strengths—Harrell’s poetic phrasing and luxuriant tone chief among them—but they were most remarkable for their freshness of concept. The former found Harrell inhibiting the sonic worlds of classical composers Ravel and Debussy; the latter featured a two-trumpet frontline that paired Harrell with kindred spirit Ambrose Akinmusire. Moving Picture puts Harrell in a more familiar setting: at the helm of his working quartet with bassist Ugonna Okegwo, pianist Danny Grissett and drummer Adam Cruz. The program has a homegrown feel, with 10 tracks culled from Harrell’s repertoire, and the tunes rarely stray from the trumpeter’s wheelhouse, oscillating between hard-pivoting modern jazz and warm, soft-focused balladry.
