Rewind That (Concord Music Group)
Christian Scott
Released March 28, 2006
Grammy Nominee for Best Contemporary Jazz Album 2007
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mOFMQrNput1Jiqu2HF8-LkZ9x7UssHugk
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3a6UMXP06O6W6McVy1Bwu3?si=N6Dud3xuQGyE2gffTyrT-g
About:
One of the brightest jazz stars to emerge in the last few years is 22-year-old trumpeter Christian Scott. He makes his Concord Jazz debut with Rewind That, arguably the most remarkable premiere the genre has seen in the last decade. Instead of retreading bebop the way so-called young lions did in the early 1990s, Scott delivers a smart, grooved, and plugged-in set of tunes (nine of the 11 tracks are originals) with his electric sextet. Steeped in the jazz tradition and intent on participating in the music’s evolution, the New York-based Berklee College of Music grad is indeed a significant new voice poised to make an impact on the future of jazz.
Track Listing:
1. Rewind That (Christian Scott) 5:18
2. Say It (Christian Scott) 6:29
3. Like This (Christian Scott) 5:02
4. So What (Miles Davis) 4:06
5. Rejection (Christian Scott) 7:22
6. Lay in Vein (Christian Scott) 6:17
7. She (Christian Scott) 4:48
8. Suicide (Christian Scott) 6:44
9. Caught Up (Christian Scott) 5:35
10. Paradise Found (Donald Harrison) 6:35
11. Kiel (Christian Scott) 6:20
Personnel:
Christian Scott: trumpet
Walter Smith III: tenor saxophone (2-11)
Matt Stevens: guitar (1-3, 5-11)
Zaccai Curtis: Fender Rhodes (1, 2, 5, 6, 9), Wurlitzer (3, 4, 7, 8, 11)
Luques Curtis: acoustic bass (1, 2, 4-11), electric bass (3)
Thomas Pridgen: drums
Special Guest
Donald Harrison: alto saxophone (4, 8, 10, 11)
Review:
He may only be in his early twenties,
but trumpeter Christian Scott is that rarity in the jazz world: a player who
possesses the potential for massive appeal while representing no artistic
compromise. Don’t let the fact that his debut, Rewind That, was
nominated for a Grammy scare you off. This is an artist who is not only a
remarkably mature player and writer, but one who has his fingers in a variety
of styles while never sounding anything less than completely focused.
While an artist of his youthful vintage will, no
doubt, be affected by contemporary grooves and hopefully more than a passing
acquaintance with the conventional jazz tradition, the fusion edge that crops
up on this set of largely original tunes is an unexpected surprise. The dark
groove of the title track, with Zaccai Curtis’ atmospheric Fender Rhodes,
guitarist Matt Stevens and bassist Luques Curtis’ riff-based support and
drummer Thomas Pridgen’s snappy, Billy Kilson-like attack, provide a foundation
for Scott’s economical, compositionally focused solo. If Scott’s the star of
this show, Stevens is a close second, delivering solo after solo of imagination
and energy—John Scofield’s grit crossed with Kurt Rosenwinkel’s oblique angles
and early John McLaughlin’s harsher edge.
The even more energetic “Say It revolves
around an alternating 7/4 and 9/4 pattern, Scott reaching into the upper
register to prove that, while the influence of Miles Davis is undeniable, so
too are others, most notably Clifford Brown and, of more contemporary vintage,
fellow New Orleans natives Nicholas Payton and Terence Blanchard. But even when
he reaches for the high notes, Scott’s sound remains unusually warm, largely
due to emulating an unrecorded technique of Brown’s that, as Scott explains,
“instead of blowing cold air into the instrument…squeezed out warm air
from his diaphragm that created a more breathy tone.
The other star of Rewind That is
tenor saxophonist Walter Smith III, whose own Casually Introducing Walter
Smith III (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2006) was an impressive debut.
On the initially relaxed “Rejection, Smith’s solo turns up the heat before
settling back down for Scott’s entry.
Uncle and renowned altoist Donald Harrison
guests on three tracks, including his own “Paradise Found. While
Harrison’s attempts to expand beyond the mainstream have been met with some
resistance by fans who don’t want to see him shed his post bop clothes, here
he’s able to do so without criticism since it’s not his project, and it makes
one wish fans could leave their preconceptions behind. On a funkier update of
Miles Davis’ “So What Harrison follows his nephew’s appropriately spare,
mid-range solo with his own reflection of an edgy funk that suits him well
indeed.
In many ways it’s better that Rewind
That didn’t win that Grammy. Being nominated brought well-deserved
attention, but by not winning Scott remains unburdened by expectations for his
next disc. With as strong a debut as Rewind That, one can only
guess what’ll come next.
John Kelman (All About Jazz)
