Joel Ross
★★★★
Nublues
BLUE NOTE. CD/DL/LP
Ballads and blues from one of the great small groups in jazz.
THE VIBRAPHONE has never ranked among the sexy instr uments. No fan ever played air vibes. But if anyone can wrest emotion from the cold aluminium bars it’s the Chicago-bor n hotshot now releasing his fourth album for Blue Note. On a record inspired by Joel Ross’s recent study of the blues, his dancing mallets add a silver y shimmering haze to seven originals, a free flowing Thelonious Monk cover (Evidence) and two John Coltrane tunes (Equinox; Central Park West). The soulful side of Coltrane is another key influence here, principally in the alto-saxophone explorations of the excellent Immanuel Wilkins, while Jeremy Corren adds meditative, gospel-tinged piano. The music moves seamlessly from Ross’s melodic, accessible themes to improvisations that are adventurous but never self-indulgent. It’s early days, but this cool and stylish record should make the jazz best-of-year lists.