On the Tender Spot of Every Calloused Moment (Blue Note)
Ambrose Akinmusire
Released June 5, 2020
Jazzwise Top 10 Releases of 2020
Grammy Nominee for Best Jazz Instrumental Album 2021
JAZZ FM 25 Best Jazz Albums of 2020
Jazziz Best Albums of 2020
AllMusic Favorite Jazz Albums 2020
JazzTimes Top 10 New Jazz Releases of 2020
Stereogum 10 Best Jazz Albums Of 2020
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About:
Trumpeter and composer Ambrose Akinmusire’s new quartet album – his fifth for Blue Note Records – presents 11 new original compositions featuring his long-time bandmates pianist Sam Harris, bassist Harish Raghavan, and drummer Justin Brown.
With on the tender spot of every calloused moment, Akinmusire not only asserts himself as one of the best trumpeters in the world, he’s using his voice to dissect the complexity of black life in America. Yet he isn’t trying to summon gloom, he’s unpacking it all. Through his trumpet comes the breath of a black man who’s seen the best and worst of the country, and harnesses it into 49 minutes of gorgeous, shape-shifting art.
But that isn’t surprising if you’ve followed him to this point. on the tender spot of every calloused moment is the latest in a rich assembly of music he’s released, each album drawn from very real emotions and instances in his life. Where Origami Harvest—which was named to Best of 2018 lists in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, NPR Music, GQ, DownBeat, JazzTimes, Jazziz, and more—was a study in contrasts, on the tender spot of every calloused moment is a study of the blues in a contemporary context.
It continues a theme first established on his first Blue Note album, 2011’s When The Heart Emerges Glistening: On that cover, he has short hair and a cleanly shaven face. For this one, he has locks, facial hair, and a black hooded sweatshirt. “In a way, I was thinking about this as a sequel to my first record [on the label],” Akinmusire says. “I’m returning to the landmarks in my first album.”
Much like his previous work, on the tender spot of every calloused moment unpacks the feeling of “otherness” and what that means in a country with such a fraught racial history. In that way, it resembles Origami Harvest and 2014’s the imagined savior is far easier to paint. But where those records seethed, this one simmers; Akinmusire examines the past with pondering eyes and not a furrowed brow.
Track Listing:
1. Tide of Hyacinth (Ambrose Akinmusire) 08:19
2. Yessss (Ambrose Akinmusire) 05:44
3. Cyincal Sideliners (Ambrose Akinmusire / Genevieve Artadi) 02:21
4. Mr. Roscoe (Consider the Simultaneous) (Ambrose Akinmusire)
5. An That Get’ More Intense (Interlude) (Ambrose Akinmusire) 06:38
6. Reset (Quiet Victories & Celebrated Defeats) (Ambrose Akinmusire) 03:25
7. Moon (The Return Amplifies the Unity) (Ambrose Akinmusire) 03:44
8. 4623 (Ambrose Akinmusire) 00:31
9. Roy (Ambrose Akinmusire) 02:40
10. Blues (We Measure the Heart With a Fist) (Ambrose Akinmusire) 05:29
11. Hooded Procession (Read the Names Outloud) (Ambrose Akinmusire) 03:18
Personnel:
Ambrose Akinmusire: trumpet, Fender Rhodes (3, 11)
Sam Harris: piano
Harish Raghavan: bass
Justin Brown: drums
Additional Instrumentation
Jesus Diaz: vocals, percussion (1)
Sam Harris: synthesizer (2)
Genevieve Artadi: vocals (3)
Recorded at Brooklyn Bridge Studios, New York, by Andy Taub
Recording Assistant: Samuel Wahl
Mixed and Mastered by Dave Darlington
Producer: Ambrose Akinmusire
Cover Photo: Ogata
Review:
Putting the extreme vulnerability and complexity of the African-American condition – with possible solace amid the sufferation – into a single title is by no means easy but the evocative construct, On The Tender Spot Of Every Calloused Moment, makes a good fist of it. Ambrose Akinmusire’s fifth studio album finds the 38 year-old trumpeter in as reflective a mode as ever, asking questions about black identity and avoiding clichéd pathways just as he opts for musical roads less travelled.
Without the illuminating vocal contributions of 2018’s excellent Origami Harvest, the spotlight falls on a quartet whose cohesion reflects a decade-long history, and, anchored by the outstanding drummer Justin Brown, it shines emphatically. Akinmusire has a distinctive way of creating ambiances of deep pathos without falling into overwrought sentimentality, and this blend of soft folds and sharp edges is compelling on songs such as ‘Reset.’ While the leader’s patented way of moving from a hazy, smouldering low register to raking distortions, where a note scrape-struggles vividly into life, catches the ear the way the band creates a kind of suspension within motion, often with flickers of funk, is masterful. ‘Blues’ is also a highlight, musically and thematically, insofar as it gives Akinmusire a chance to present an original response to the bedrock of black music with subtle shades of expression that steer clear of expected tropes.
The political resonance of this work cannot be overstated, given the precarious circumstances for people of colour even before the age of covid-19, and both the concept and execution make Akinmusire a vital presence in contemporary creative music. With his articulate playing comes no end of provocative thinking.
Kevin Le Gendre (Jazzwise)
