On A Mountain
Self-Released, 2021
9/10
The jazz world suffered a terrible loss last year when Shannon Gunn passed way much too soon. An artist who accomplished so much in her decades as a vocalist and composer, she actually never released an album of her own. On A Mountain, which was recorded in 2002, fills that void, and truly honors her legacy with 9 compositions that highlight her inimitable style and welcomes some of today’s best jazz musicians, too.
“From You” starts the listen with soft keys and bare percussion, as Gunn’s diverse and fluid pipes guide the sparse climate, and “Carla’s Blues” follows with Brad Turner’s soulful trumpet and Pat Labarber’s tenor saxophone complementing the powerful and playful delivery.
Deeper into the listen, “Wild Is Love” showcases Gunn’s frisky pipes alongside the flowing jazz dynamics, while “I’ve Grown Accustomed To His Face” moves sublimely, with a poetic and eloquent execution that benefits much from Neil Swainson’s precise bass plucking. “On A Mountain”, one of the album’s best, then showcases Renee Rosnes’ agile piano alongside the adventurous brass and timeless jazz formula.
Approaching the end, “Mean Joe” showcases Billy Drummond’s proficient drumming to complement the subdued melodies, and “Everything I Love” exits with strong attention to detail, where charming vocal scatting and Labarbera’s tenor sax finish the record on a very high note.
A body of work that’s complicated yet easy to digest, Gunn further solidifies herself as a legend in the area of jazz vocalists, and On A Mountain certainly embraces all the traits that made her such an icon.
Travels well with: Levi Dover Sextet- Imaginary Structures; Le GGRIL- Sommes