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Who Are You?
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Who Are You?
Current price: $16.99
Barnes and Noble
Who Are You?
Current price: $16.99
Size: CD
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The sophomore album from
Joel Ross
, 2020's
Who Are You?
showcases the Chicago-born, Brooklyn-based vibraphonist's expansive post-bop jazz. The record follows his critically acclaimed debut, 2019's
Kingmaker
, and again finds him engaging in warm long-form interplay with his distinctive sextet. Joining
Ross
are pianist
Jeremy Corren
, saxophonist
Immanuel Wilkins
, and drummer
Jeremy Dutton
-- bandmates who all played on
. Added to the ensemble this time are bassist
Kanoa Mendenhall
and harpist
Brandee Younger
. The addition of
Younger
is an especially interesting choice. Informed by jazz harp pioneers like
Alice Coltrane
and
Dorothy Ashby
, she brings an unusual texture to the ensemble. Her presence also means
' group has four chordal instruments (vibes, piano, bass, and harp) interacting at any given time. There's an impressionistic sound to many of
' songs, as on the opening "Dream." A wave-like composition, it brings to mind the work of artists like pianist
Keith Jarrett
and vibraphonist
Wolfgang Lackerschmid
. There's also a strong
John Coltrane
influence that runs through the album that's particularly evident in
Wilkins
' playing. On the minor-key "More?" the saxophonist rubs against the song's Eastern European folk intimations with his edgy tone and wry note choices. Picking up on his approach,
Corren
offers his own wild-eyed and dancerly response before
dives into the whirling fray. Underlining the
Coltrane
influence,
presents an elegiac and delicately textured rendition of the saxophonist's "After the Rain," off his landmark 1963 album
Impressions
. Where the original was spare and made the most of
's small quartet,
' version is more widescreen. He expands
's melody with a shimmer of bubble-bright harp and vibraphone tones that fall like water droplets onto a buzzing lake of bowed bass and rippling, woody drum patterns. From there, the group shifts gears into a measured reading of
Ambrose Akinmusire
's "Vartha." A carryover from
' time as a member of the trumpeter's ensemble, the song starts with a slow churn that sets up a kinetic solo from
.
then responds in kind, launching into a flurry of gyroscopic note spirals. The song ends with an equally frenetic drum outro that segues directly into
' composition "Marshland," a transition that speaks to the vibraphonist's interest in having longer musical conversations throughout the album. Elsewhere, he pays homage to the late Argentinian tenor saxophonist
Gato Barbieri
on his soulful and dusky "Gato's Gift," and evokes the yearning vocals of Argentine singer
Mercedes Sosa
with a dual sax and vibraphone melody on the ballad "Harmonee." With
,
has crafted another highly engaging small-group album that more than answers the question at hand. ~ Matt Collar
Joel Ross
, 2020's
Who Are You?
showcases the Chicago-born, Brooklyn-based vibraphonist's expansive post-bop jazz. The record follows his critically acclaimed debut, 2019's
Kingmaker
, and again finds him engaging in warm long-form interplay with his distinctive sextet. Joining
Ross
are pianist
Jeremy Corren
, saxophonist
Immanuel Wilkins
, and drummer
Jeremy Dutton
-- bandmates who all played on
. Added to the ensemble this time are bassist
Kanoa Mendenhall
and harpist
Brandee Younger
. The addition of
Younger
is an especially interesting choice. Informed by jazz harp pioneers like
Alice Coltrane
and
Dorothy Ashby
, she brings an unusual texture to the ensemble. Her presence also means
' group has four chordal instruments (vibes, piano, bass, and harp) interacting at any given time. There's an impressionistic sound to many of
' songs, as on the opening "Dream." A wave-like composition, it brings to mind the work of artists like pianist
Keith Jarrett
and vibraphonist
Wolfgang Lackerschmid
. There's also a strong
John Coltrane
influence that runs through the album that's particularly evident in
Wilkins
' playing. On the minor-key "More?" the saxophonist rubs against the song's Eastern European folk intimations with his edgy tone and wry note choices. Picking up on his approach,
Corren
offers his own wild-eyed and dancerly response before
dives into the whirling fray. Underlining the
Coltrane
influence,
presents an elegiac and delicately textured rendition of the saxophonist's "After the Rain," off his landmark 1963 album
Impressions
. Where the original was spare and made the most of
's small quartet,
' version is more widescreen. He expands
's melody with a shimmer of bubble-bright harp and vibraphone tones that fall like water droplets onto a buzzing lake of bowed bass and rippling, woody drum patterns. From there, the group shifts gears into a measured reading of
Ambrose Akinmusire
's "Vartha." A carryover from
' time as a member of the trumpeter's ensemble, the song starts with a slow churn that sets up a kinetic solo from
.
then responds in kind, launching into a flurry of gyroscopic note spirals. The song ends with an equally frenetic drum outro that segues directly into
' composition "Marshland," a transition that speaks to the vibraphonist's interest in having longer musical conversations throughout the album. Elsewhere, he pays homage to the late Argentinian tenor saxophonist
Gato Barbieri
on his soulful and dusky "Gato's Gift," and evokes the yearning vocals of Argentine singer
Mercedes Sosa
with a dual sax and vibraphone melody on the ballad "Harmonee." With
,
has crafted another highly engaging small-group album that more than answers the question at hand. ~ Matt Collar
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