Honeysuckle Rose
Self-Released, 2020
8/10
This first album from Aubrey Wilson and company has Chris Bruder on piano, Tom Altobelli holding down bass and Sean Bruce Parker behind the drum kit across 10 collaborative tunes where Wilson’s flawless pipes guide us in and out of engaging jazz textures.
“Nature Boy” starts the listen, where Scott Taplay guests on guitar as Wilson’s vocal range is explored alongside crisp percussion and warm piano working together strategically, and “Honeysuckle Rose” follows with a softer approach as charming atmosphere enters the dreamy setting.
Elsewhere, “I Will Wait For You” benefits from Luis Deniz’s alto saxophone on the bouncy jazz fun, while “Stolen Moments” is a vocally expressive album highlight that’s as playful as it is rhythmic and comes with no shortage of grooves. “When Sunny Gets Blue”, another exceptional tune, then finds itself in piano balladry where Wilson’s singing is nothing short of sublime.
Close to the end, “When I Look In Your Eyes” offers a lush and romantic display of timeless musicianship, and “Norwegian Wood” exits the listen with a cautious and poetic spin on The Beatles tune.
The Aubrey Wilson Quartet have been together for a decade now, and it sure seems like it as they arrange these standards with grace, adventurousness and divine chemistry. Certainly an effort worth the wait, let’s hope that it isn’t another 10 years before another installment of their sophisticated brand of jazz comes along
Travels well with: Rebecca Hennessy- All The Little Things You Do; Mario Romano- The Journey So Far