Blue on the D.L. in Bloomington, MN

Trumpeter
Russell Gunn
gained some attention for his desire to mix
jazz
together with
hip-hop
and other styles.
Blue on the D.L.
however is a change of pace.
Gunn
mostly sticks to
hard bop
on this set, exploring nine different
blues
-based tunes with a sextet also featuring tenor saxophonist
J.D. Allen
, pianist
Orrin Evans
, and guitarist
Mark Whitfield
. Whether the song was composed by
Blue Mitchell
,
Clifford Brown
Charlie Parker
Roy Hargrove
Wynton Kelly
, or
Miles Davis
or whether it is a group original, the music is essentially comprised of
bebop
.
shows that he is quite comfortable in this jam session-type setting and that he could keep up with the
Hargroves
and
Nicholas Paytons
of his generation if that was the main intent of his career.
is easily recommended to straight-ahead
collectors. ~ Scott Yanow