The Lighting Of The Lamps
Cellar Music, 2022
8/10
Listen to Lighting Of The Lamps
The tenor sax extraordinaire Grant Stewart is aligned with Bruce Harris (trumpet), David Wong (bass), Tardo Hammer (piano) and Phil Stewart (drums) for these originals from Elmo Hope, Thad Jones, and Clifford Jordan, among others, that flow with much attention to detail.
“Little Spain” starts the listen with the keys and brass dancing around each other with plenty of frisky warmth, and “A Piece Of Art” follows with swift drumming and adventurous horns making for a lively jazz setting.
“Out Of The Past” lands in the middle and resonates with a glowing intimacy that showcases intricate bass lines, while “Mo Is On” is a rowdy and festive album highlight that, despite being so busy, is just so meticulous, too.
“Bearcat” and “Bitty Ditty” exit the listen, where the former is quite stylish and displays lively trumpet and sax amid the fascinating key progressions, and the latter finishes with the quintet interacting with much dynamic and timeless skill.
An exceptional 8 tracks, Stewart and company make for a thriving and sonically exciting listen embraces all the hallmarks of jazz that we will never tire of.
Travels well with: Matthew Muñeses- Noli Me Tángere; Jonathan Barber & Vision Ahead- Poetic