Taking a more stripped-down approach than the expansive electric path he's been pursuing since 2013's
Water and Earth
, trumpeter
Jeremy Pelt
's 2016 album,
#Jiveculture
, is a visceral exploration of small-group post-bop. It's also
Pelt
's first album featuring legendary bassist and
Miles Davis
associate
Ron Carter
. Also joining
here are longtime bandmates pianist
Danny Grissett
and drummer
Billy Drummond
. While
has never completely eschewed swinging, harmonically challenging, straight-ahead jazz, his previous efforts,
,
Face Forward, Jeremy
, and
Tales, Musings, and Other Reveries
were notable for their more experimental flourishes that combined
's love of hip-hop and electronic dance music with his reverence for '70s-era jazz fusion, a la
'
Bitches Brew
. For much of his career though,
has excelled at the kind of organic, modal-based jazz that
Davis
played in the mid-'60s. This is the approach he takes on
and one that works perfectly with the addition of
Carter
, whose languid, supple bass style helped to define modern jazz. Here,
and company dive headlong into a set of originals and lesser-played standards, including a jaunty take on
's own "Einbahnstrasse." Similarly compelling is the relaxed midtempo swinger "Dream Dancing," which brings to mind both mid-'50s
Miles
and '80s
Wynton Marsalis
.
is also evoked on the angular "The Haunting" and the lyrical, sad-eyed ballad "Akua," with
utilizing a plaintive Harmon mute. Ultimately, while
is a more stripped-down, traditional jazz production than
's previous releases, it's also one of his more densely packed, flowing with harmonic and melodic ideas that are all the more striking when set against the straight-ahead framework of a quartet. ~ Matt Collar