Chess Moves
SteepleChase, 2023
8/10
The trumpeter and composer Alex Pope Norris turns in 10 original pieces, where Ari Ambrose, Rick Germanson, Paul Gill and Brian Floody are in attendance for the rhythmic and fluid jazz listen.
The lively title track gets the listen off to a warm start, where Floody’s swift drums suit the bright brass, and “Short Waltz” follows with Ambrose’s flowing sax amid Gill’s playful bass for the melodic climate.
In the middle, the mature piano from Germanson suits Norris’ intimate fluegelhorn across the album’s most reflective moment, “My Ideal”, while “There It Went” bops and shakes with a dynamic and animated presence thanks to the fiery rhythm section and Norris’ intricate horn.
Approaching the end, “I Should Say So” balances playfulness with softness amid the crisp delivery, and “For A Change” exits with a rich and detailed display of timeless jazz flavor.
Norris had appeared on over 100 recordings as a sideman, and he’s clearly comfortable front and center, too, as these imaginative and carefully fleshed out jazz tunes illustrate.
Travels well with: Audrey Ochoa- The Head Of A Mouse; Pablo Masis- Thought And Memory