What's New on WDCB... with Paul Abella

The Blck Madonna – Between The Lines (self-produced)

To be honest, I can’t tell if The Blck Madonna (yes, that spelling is intentional) is the vocalist or the band behind the album Between the Lines, but no matter, it’s one heck of a debut effort. The real star here is the music. These are seven daring arrangements of standards we’ve all heard a hundred or a thousand times before. Starting off with a quite downtempo take on “Afro Blue,” it builds in intensity throughout its nearly seven minute run time, taking the listener on quite a journey. On “Round Midnight,” things might start off as expected, but they use elements of the Miles Davis arrangement as jumping off points to take some really interesting twists and turns. “Body & Soul” and “Pick Yourself Up” both sound classic and fresh at the same time, which is no small feat. “My Funny Valentine” as an uptempo romp isn’t what most people have in mind, but it works. Between the Lines takes chances from first track to last, and the vast majority of those risks land quite nicely. It’s nice to hear a band daring enough to put something fresh into the world, and talented enough to make you glad you heard it.

Nat Reeves – Now In Time (SideDoor Jazz)

Bassist Nat Reeves clearly decided not to mess around when putting together the band for his latest album, Now in Time. Sporting the three horn front line of Eddie Henderson (trumpet), Eric Alexander (tenor sax) and Steve Davis (trombone), along with rhythm section mates Orrin Evans (piano) and Jeff “Tain” Watts (drums), this band is not messing around. They came to get down from the first note. Even the songs picked out for this session are serious as can be. Sonny Stitt’s “Katea’s Dance,” Jackie McLean’s “Appointment in Ghana,” Pharoah Sanders’ “The Creator Has a Master Plan,” Kenny Garrett’s “Sounds of the Flying Pygmies,” those are stone cold jams, one and all. Even the standards are a cut above. “Alice in Wonderland” and “Portrait of Jennie” are lesser done gems that deserve to get played by a band this good. But is the band as good as the lineup suggests? Yes. The horns are loose and swinging. The rhythm section is grooving on everything here. What is there not to love?

Donovan Mixon – Finding Center: A Sonic Memoir (self-produced)

Chicagoan and guitarist Donovan Mixon has recently released an album called Finding Center: A Sonic Memoir. He assembled an all-star who’s who of Chicago talent for the album, with Robert Irving III on piano, Leon Q. Allen on trumpet, Fred Jackson, Jr on woodwinds, Cory Biggerstaff on bass, Charles Heath on drums, and vocalist Sarah Marie Young joining in on a couple of songs. A band with this much talent locks into grooves effortlessly, as they do on “Finding Center.” “A Rainy Day” is a lovely ballad that evokes its name within bars of it starting. “Slow Burn” is a great way to wrap up the album, with fantastic solos from Allen, Mixon and Irving, before settling into an exciting closing section. Donovan Mixon’s Finding Center is a fantastic sonic memoir, indeed, and I hope there are many more volumes of his memoirs to come.