Wise Children
Tom Harrell
Blue
Bird Jazz
Wise Children
Tom Harrell
Label: RVG BLUEBRD/HTG
CATL Configuration: Compact Disc Selection #: 82876530162 Release Date:
Sep. 09, 2003
TRACKS
1. Straight to My Heart 5:06
2. Radiant Moon 5:45
3. Leaves 5:08
4. Heavens, 6:04
5. Wise Children, 5:27
6. See You At Seven, 5:48
7. Paz, 5:57
8. What Will They Think Of Next, 9:36
9. Snow 4:56
10. Kalimba, 9:32
RELEASE NOTES On September 9, Bluebird (Arista Associated Labels) released the profoundly lyrical Wise Children, the twentieth recording from trumpeter, flugelhornist and composer Tom Harrell. On Wise Children, the follow-up recording to Live at the Village Vanguard (2002), and his first studio album since Paradise (2001), Tom Harrell once again shows his highly-sophisticated and ever-evolving compositional and improvisational flair.
Harrell is very enthusiastic about his latest artistic achievement. Every time I record a new album, I try to make it different from what Ive done in the past, notes Harrell. Each time you record, hopefully you are making a statement about yourself in the world at a given moment. My feeling of who I am is always changing. Everything is in flux. Its like Salvador Dali and surrealism: The minute you feel youve got a grip on life, its already slipped away and changed into something else. Thats the paradox of life and it brings up the role of the artist. You cant do the same thing over and over again. Youd get bored quickly with your work. Its more fun and satisfying to find new and different things to do.
Wise Children features four tracks with vocal superstars, Dianne Reeves (singing the romantic ballad Straight to My Heart), Cassandra Wilson (on the pensive and stirring Leaves), Jane Monheit (lending her soft tone to the ballad Snow) and Claudia Acuña (on the energetic and spirit-raising Radiant Moon). This is the first time Ive worked with singers under my own name, but Ive always gravitated toward vocal music. Back when I lived in San Francisco, I played with a group called Azteca that had four singers. I like working with vocalists especially since the trumpet is a brass instrument that has an affinity to the sound of the human voice.
Harrells ten originals on Wise Children, including six provoking instrumentals, feature his long-time quintet of Jimmy Greene, Xavier Davis, Ugonna Okegwo and Quincy Davis, with special guests Howard Johnson, Café, Reuben Rodgers and many others. On this CD, Tom Harrell reaffirms his position as one of todays most gifted musicians.
Highlights on this recording include the upbeat opening track, Paz, simmering with rhythmic variety. The quietly exotic Kalimba also represents another studio first for Harrell: using the balafon percussion instrument for tonal coloration. The tune also features Café playing the Brazilian one-stringed instrument, the berimbau, that sonically complements the kalimba played by Xavier Davis.
Wise Children concludes with its title track, a pensive composition arranged and orchestrated by Harrell. I wrote it one afternoon as a means of reaching back to my ancestral roots. In recent years, Ive become more aware of how important it is to stay in touch with your roots. The piece started off as a piano sketch and was then expanded for three trumpets, two French horns, bass trombone and tuba. I love the sound of brass when you double notes. I also like the feel of the piece because there are no chordal instruments.
Tom Harrell's commitment to advancing his artistry is clearly evident, and continues to be a source of inspiration for his fellow musicians and fans alike. Recording as a leader since 1976, he has racked up numerous jazz magazine awards, such as top composer and trumpeter, and a Grammy nomination (for his 1999 big band album Times Mirror).