Life Songs
Alternate Side, 2024
8/10
The trombonist Marshall Gilkes brings along the WDR Big Band for these 11 energetic tunes that are rich with melodies.
The bright brass of “Fresh Start” opens the listen, where Gilkes’ soaring trombone is met with much warmth and rhythm in the rich climate, and “Back In The Groove” follows with Johan Horlén’s animated alto sax and Billy Test’s swirling keys making for a mesmerizing delivery.
Halfway through, “Pretty Little Horses” welcomes Sabeth Pérez’s charming vocal scatting to the intimate display of soft versus firm instrumentation, while “Middle Ground” meshes trombones from Ludwig Nuss, Raphael Klemm, Andy Hunter and Gilkes for the careful landscape of precision and mood.
Arriving close to the end, the lively “Sugar Rush” features Paul Heller’s tenor sax, as the setting builds into a dizzying execution of timeless jazz ideas, and “Taconic Turns”, one of two songs featured on the digital version, emits animated bass lines from John Goldsby and Hans Dekker’s swift drums for the smooth finish.
Gilkes has picked up a couple of Grammy Nominations so far, and this 8th album as leader will be sure to turn even more heads his direction thanks to the excellent company and first rate Big Band execution.
Travels well with: Gerald Cannon- Live At Dizzy’s Club: The Music Of Elvin & McCoy; Lawrence Fields- To The Surface