What It Means (Cellar Music)
Bria Skonberg
Released July 26, 2024
DownBeat Five-Star Review
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n329sFOTW-D0VtSo806ptrN9A4ofSaA2c
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About:
The past few years have brought major life changes to everyone. In Bria Skonberg’s case, in addition to the challenges of surviving as a professional musician during the pandemic, she experienced the joy of parenthood for the first time, two life-altering events that have together inspired her to feel a renewed sense of freedom in music making.
What It Means forges a way forward, in particular by returning to what inspired her in the first place: the sounds of New Orleans jazz. Recorded at Esplanade Studios during Mardi Gras of 2023, Bria is joined by an ensemble of established veterans and up and coming talent, including master Crescent City drummer Herlin Riley. This collection tells stories of life lessons that range from upbeat to down-to-earth to emotionally deep, all the while exhibiting both her mastery of the trumpet and her soulful and undeniably connective voice. Traditional jazz excursions such as “Petit Fleur” and “Elbow Bump;” a hard bop take on the Sonny & Cher hit “The Beat Goes On;” a duet with NOLA notable Gabrielle Cavassa on Van Morrison’s “Days Like This;” a heartfelt dedication to her new child, John Lennon’s “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy);” these and so many other tracks show how with her seventh studio album, Bria has solidified her artistry, mastering her signature style as one of the most distinctive artists in jazz.
Track Listing:
1. Comes Love (Lew Brown / Sam Stept / Charles Tobias) 4:28
2. Sweet Pea (Amos Lee) 3:40
3. Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans? (Eddie DeLange / Louis Alter) 4:11
4. The Beat Goes On (Sonny Bono) 6:49
5. In the House (Bria Skonberg) 6:21
6. Cornet Chop Suey (Louis Armstrong) 4:43
7. Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) (John Lennon) 5:05
8. Days Like This featuring Gabrielle Cavassa (Van Morrison) 3:20
9. Petite Fleur (Sidney Bechet) 4:36
10. Elbow Bump (Bria Skonberg) 7:03
11. Lullabye (Goodnight My Angel) / A Child is Born (Billy Joel / Thad Jones) 4:29
Personnel:
Bria Skonberg: trumpet & vocal
Don Vappie: guitar, banjo (6)
Chris Pattishall: piano
Grayson Brokamp: acoustic bass
Herlin Riley: drums, percussion
Aurora Nealand: soprano saxophone (1)
Rex Gregory: tenor saxophone, bass clarinet (4, 8-10)
Ethan Santos: trombone (4, 8-10)
Ben Jaffe: sousaphone (1, 10)
Gabrielle Cavassa: vocal (8)
Recording on February 15-17, 2023, at Esplanade Studios, New Orleans, LA, by Christopher Allen
Assistant: Mack Major
Mixed and mastered by Christopher Allen
Digital editing: Matt Pierson
Photography by Shervin Lainez
Design & layout by Perry Chua.
Produced by Matt Pierson and Bria Skonberg
Executive Producer: Larissa Roesch Production coordination: Christine Vaindirlis
Review:
On her latest release, Canadian-born trumpeter-vocalist Bria Skonberg pays tribute to the city and musical flavors of New Orleans in a program of standards and imaginative covers. The title track, “Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans,” starts with an intimate trumpet-guitar duet with guitarist Don Vappie. “Comes Love” starts as a stomp, then segues to a catchy mambo; “Sweet Pea” features insouciant scat vocals. Sidney Bechet’s “Petite Fleur” has an attractive bass clarinet solo by Rex Gregory and some beautiful muted trumpet phrasing by the leader. Van Morrison’s “Days Like This” features a clave beat on snare drum and a call-and-response with fellow singers. John Lennon’s “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)” gets a tender reading with legato phrasing while Harold Battiste’s “The Beat Goes On” borrows a riff from Lee Morgan’s “The Sidewinder” and has a feature for drummer Herlin Riley, who does an admirable job pounding rhythm to the brain. Riley also kicks off Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five classic “Cornet Chop Suey” with a brief second-line flourish, eventually making way for Skonberg’s exciting stop-time solos. T he closing “Lullaby (Good Night My Angel),” in a medley with Sir Roland Hanna’s “A Child Is Born,” is a fitting close to this personal poem of love for The Big Easy, Bria’s family and her fellow musicians. She wistfully calls it a “lullaby for parents.”
Larry Appelbaum (DownBeat)
