Connect

About

Trumpeter Charles Tolliver is an essential lion of the post-bop era, and <i>Connect</i> is his first studio outing since the big-band comeback <i>With Love</i> in 2006. The fiery, soulful small-group workout on four tunes finds him in excellent form in his late seventies, a figure of major stature despite his underexposure and the gaps in his discography over the years. At the piano is Keith Brown, whose unerring chordal support and probing solos do much to set the overall mood. Jesse Davis, the brilliant but underrated alto saxophonist, joins the leader in the front line, with young UK jazz scenester Binker Golding playing tenor saxophone on “Emperor March” and “Suspicion.” Tolliver’s veteran peers Buster Williams (bass) and Lenny White (drums) complete the lineup, applying fine artistry to every groove and swing feel they encounter. Sadly, <i>Connect</i> was released just months before the death of pianist Stanley Cowell, Tolliver’s close collaborator and cofounder of the visionary Strata-East label in the early ’70s. The music here is a testament to the sound of that era and its enduring power and beauty.

via Apple Music