London Lullaby (feat. Ted Nash)

Album Review

After a series of promising CDs for Blue Note early in his career, trumpeter Marcus Printup has blossomed by recording for several European labels. This 2007 session with pianist Eric Reed and tenor saxophonist Ted Nash (both fine leaders in their own right), bassist Barak Mori, and drummer Willie Jones III, covers a lot of ground, ranging from Joe Henderson's energetic bossa nova "Recorda-Me" to a sparse, well-executed duet with Reed of "Blue in Green" and an extended workout of Ornette Coleman's choppy blues "Tears Inside." Nash's unaccompanied, emotional tenor opens Billy Strayhorn's "Chelsea Bridge," evoking a lonely walk late at night, with the leader making a delayed entrance on muted horn. Printup's "London Lullaby" is a lyrical masterpiece, a spacious ballad written during a long bus trip as the composer battled a headache. Reed's bossa nova "Una Mujer Elegante" is an excellent vehicle for Printup's muted trumpet, accompanied by Nash's rich harmonies.