JARED HALL

HOMETOWN

Origin Records

Jared Hall, trumpet/composer; Ben Markley, piano; Michael Glynn, bass; Kyle Swan, drums; Troy Roberts, tenor saxophone.

An original composition by Jared Hall is the title tune, “Hometown.” It has a warm, beautiful melody.  Ben Markley begins the song with a piano bass line that sets mood and tempo. Born in Spokane, Washington, this project by Jared Hall celebrates memories of places, people and the family that shaped him. Musically and physically, he returns back to his West Coast roots.

Hall was lured home by a university teaching position offered from his own alma mater.  He’ll be inspiring young minds in the very “Room 111” that inspired him years ago.  He includes a swinging tune of the same name to celebrate that legacy. It quickly becomes one of my favorites, straight-ahead and energized in a bebop sort of way. Towards the end of the tune the sax of Troy Roberts takes over in a hot duet with drummer Kyle Swan.  The two battle each other in a harmonious and inspirational way.

Next, a tune called “Step by Step” skips along at a moderate pace, with Troy Roberts singing an improvised tenor saxophone solo. He’s followed by Markley’s piano tinkling richly in the spotlight. Jared Hall composed this one, inspired by the harmonic framework of John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps.”  It’s meant to trace the past two decades of the trumpeter’s life, moving from student, to working artist, to professor.

I enjoyed his take on Bobby Hutcherson tune, “Little B’s Poem.” Hall arranged the familiar jazz standard as a waltz. It was perfect in that ¾ time, with Kyle Swan’s rolling trap drums introducing the tune in a dynamic way.  Michael Glynn entertains with an inspiring bass solo. They also cover Monk’s tune, “Ask Me Now,” but all the other songs on this album are Jared Hall’s original compositions.  He shows his diversity in the arrangements of each song.  They range from ballads, to waltz and straight-ahead to good old ‘swing,’ with a bit of funk introducing us to a tune called “Family Groove.”

Every song on this album is well-produced, beautifully composed and perfectly executed by his all-star band.  From my perspective, Jared Hall’s students will be lucky to have him.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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