Jazz Is a Spirit
In the 1980s, drummer Terri Lyne Carrington was the darling of the so-called young lions generation of jazz musicians. She gigged with everybody fromWoody ShawandWayne ShortertoGreg Osby. But after the release of her 1989 Grammy-nominated debut,Real Life Story, and her short stint on theArsenio Hall Show, it's been more than a decade since she released her long-awaited follow-up.This CD is well worth the wait. Carrington is joined by a number  of jazz greats--pianistHerbie Hancock, saxophonist Gary Thomas, guitaristsKevin Eubanksand Paul Bollenback, and trumpeters Wallace Roney andTerence Blanchard. Stylistically, Carrington's drumming is a brilliant blend ofTony Williams's power,Billy Higgins's finesse, andElvin Jones's African syncopations. She knows that she does not need to blow everybody away with loud solos, so she leads by driving her band mates. She wrote most of the music, which has a  '60s,Miles Davisfeel. "Jazz Is" is a spectral opus featuring actor Malcolm Jamal Warner on spoken word and bass. "Lost Star" swings with aLive at the Plugged Nickelvibe, while her take on Wayne Shorter's classic "Witch Hunt" is a melodically recombinant version for this century. The most evocative pieces are the Afro-Eurasian tinged "Journey of Now" and "Mr. Jo Jones," a  deathbed interview with the legendary drummer Philly Joe Jones passing his  advice and his torch to Carrington while she "talks" to him with her poetic  and polyrhythmic drumming.--Eugene Holley Jr.