Album Review
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There are five songs on Attitude & Gratitude, drummer
” data-original-title=”” title=””>Henry Godfrey‘s Boston-based Jazz Orchestra’s second album, and each one is a tribute to people, places or circumstances that have helped Godfrey grow as a musician and as a person.
In order, they are “For McCoy” (honoring pianist
McCoy Tyner
piano
1938 – 2020
” data-original-title=”” title=””>McCoy Tyner and other jazz legends who have passed on); “Mad Max” (for the city [Washington, DC] in which Godfrey grew up); “Forgetting What Will Never Be” (for lost love and the “lessons in heartbreak and grief”); “Hot Water” (for the “kitchen camaraderie” while Godfrey served as chef at a Japanese restaurant), and “We’ll Get There” (for strong communities built in the face of adversity that included a pandemic). Godfrey composed and arranged all of them.
Godfrey shows a keen ear throughout, with occasional contrapuntal touches reminiscent of the late great
” data-original-title=”” title=””>Bill Potts, another product of the Washington area and its service bands (like Potts, Godfrey was once a member of the U.S. Army Blues). Alas, the recording itself doesn’t always bring out the best in Godfrey’s seventeen-member ensemble, as reeds and especially brass are at times overly harsh and less than well-defined. Not necessarily disconcerting, simply not as sharp and clear as a modern recording would seem to warrant.
The themes are for the most part upbeat, starting with “For McCoy,” a forceful groover that showcases the orchestra’s assertive rhythm section alongside stalwart solos by pianist
” data-original-title=”” title=””>Rowan Barcham and guitarist ” data-original-title=”” title=””>Pritesh Walia, and continuing with “Mad Max” whose emphatic go-go beat harkens back to Godfrey’s early days gigging all night in his hometown. Solos are by Godfrey, baritone
Nicholas Suchecki
saxophone, baritone
” data-original-title=”” title=””>Nicholas Suchecki and trumpeter ” data-original-title=”” title=””>Eli Block. The lone ballad, “Forgetting What Will Never Be,” morphs into a seductive bolero and rhythmic chacha to underline ardent solos by trombonist ” data-original-title=”” title=””>joey dies, bassist ” data-original-title=”” title=””>Anna Abondolo and tenor ” data-original-title=”” title=””>ian buss.
Godfrey’s agile brushes introduce “Hot Water,” a bright and swinging minor blues whose amiable solos are delivered by trombonist ” data-original-title=”” title=””>Jasmine Sloane and tenor
Anton Derevyanko
saxophone, tenor
” data-original-title=”” title=””>Anton Derevyanko. That leads to “We’ll Get There,” a colorful pastiche that placed in ASCAP’s 2021 Herb Alpert Young Composers competition. Alto saxophonist
Alex Ramirez
saxophone, alto
” data-original-title=”” title=””>Alex Ramirez is featured, with a second solo by trumpeter
” data-original-title=”” title=””>Matt Kelly and more wellknit work from the rhythm section. Attitude & Gratitude is by no means a classic big-band session (the recorded sound alone would preclude that) but one that is definitely above average, thanks to Godfrey’s persuasive charts and the orchestra’s expertise in bringing them to life.
“>
Track Listing
For McCoy; Mad Max; Forgetting What Will Never Be; Hot Water; We’ll Get There.
Personnel
Henry Godfrey: drums; Miles Keingstein: trumpet; Matt Kelly: trumpet; Eli Block: trumpet; Zoe Murphy: trumpet; aaron dutton: saxophone; ian buss: saxophone; Anton Derevyanko: saxophone, tenor; Nicholas Suchecki: saxophone, baritone; joey dies: trombone; Jasmine Sloane: trombone; Sam Margolis: trombone; michael juba prentky: trombone; Pritesh Walia: guitar; Rowan Barcham: piano; Anna Abondolo: bass.
Album information
Title: Attitude & Gratitude
| Year Released: 2023
| Record Label: Self Produced
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