Love Requiem
Hailing from East Saint Louis, Illinois--the hometown ofMiles Davis--trumpeter Russell Gunn has no choice but to swing. But what makes this recording special is the level of emotion and maturity this talented 26-year-old brings to the table. Backed in large and small ensembles with alto and tenor saxophonists Myron Walden andMark Turner, flutist Greg Tardy, vibraphonistStefon Harris, pianists James Hurt and Shedrick Mitchell, bassist Eric Revis, and drummerCindy Blackman, Gunn and company deliver a dancing and dark look at love. With his bone-deep tone, Gunn surveys a number of jazz eras, as evidenced by the '70s,Donald Byrd-like midtempo grooves of "Part I: In the Beginning: Love" and theWoody Shawevocations on "Part II: Deceit."John Coltrane's hypnotic "Equinox" is reincarnated on "Part VII: "Heartache and Regrets," thanks to Blackman's volcanic drumming, and Revis's dynamic bass double-stops spellCharles Minguson the furious 4/4 vehicle "Torment--Part One." Gunn's debt toWynton Marsaliscolors "Torment--Part Two," and his trumpet slurs echo the avant-garde geniusDon Cherryon the title cut. What is apparent throughout this spectral CD is Russell Gunn's encyclopedic embrace of tradition coupled with his pioneering stamp on it.--Eugene Holley Jr.