JAZZ
BY ANDY COWAN
Ambrose Akinmusire
★★★★
Owl Song
NONESUCH. CD/DL/LP
Trumpeter’s intimate exploration of open space with Bill Frisell and Herlin Riley.
The first of three new albums in the next 12 months underlines Ambrose Akinmusire’s refusal to be pigeonholed. A reaction against modern life’s information overload, this sparely wrought affair has a freshness that reflects the minimal rehearsal time with guitarist Bill Frisell and drummer Herlin Riley, the Californian’s languidly purring long notes on Owl Song 1 and Flux Fuelings drawing listeners in with simple themes and passages of undeniable beauty. While the trio’s nimble interactions sparkle with empathy on Mr Frisell – as trumpeter and guitarist double-up and diverge – their melodic skills are most acute on slower numbers like the impressionistic Henya, summoning haunting themes that match Akinmusire’s unmistakable timbre and strong, woody tone. Owl Song resonates with emotional power and has Sunday morning written all over it.