Dennis Angel - On Track (2014)

Having been brutal on some contemporary artists because the difference between them can be measured by the thickness of a sheet of paper, running across a true original artist can be like a breath of fresh air. On Track is the follow up to Timeless Grooves and it boasts an all star lineup including but not limited to Will Lee, Kenny Barron and James Genus. The tunes are all originals with one notable exception but the sound finds that musical happy place somewhere between straight ahead and what some consider traditional smooth jazz. A release steeped in nuanced textures.

Two standout tracks immediately jump out including the Freddie Hubbard like "Soul Strut" and the more jazz nasty blues infused "Sunset Cafe." Angel is a lyrical technician with a soulful and soul filled bent on taking one to that contemporary land of rhythm and groove. A smoldering and incredibly consistent flavor runs throughout the release even on the more dialed down tune "Serenity." Producer Jason Miles pulls a warm and incredibly organic sound out of these musical co-conspirators and allows them to simply focus on performance. Having heard major label trumpet / flugelhorn players not pull off originals much better than this, Dennis Angel is the real deal. There is a fresh approach coming to contemporary instrumental music and Dennis Angel should figured heavily in that equation. Chet Baker meets Rick Braun? Maybe!

Tracklist:

01 - Soul Strut
02 - I Like It Like That
03 - My Love
04 - Take Me Away
05 - Serenity
06 - Jubilation
07 - Tea For Two
08 - Sunset Cafe
09 - This Song's For You
10 - Dream Dancer

Personnel:

Dennis Angel - Flugelhorn
Gottfried Stoger - Tenor sax, soprano sax, and flute
Jason Miles - Piano, keyboards, synthesizers, strings, percussion and string arrangements

Will Lee - Electric bass
James Genus - Acoustic bass
George Porter Jr. - Electric bass
Amanda Ruzza - Electric bass
Tom "Bones" Malone - Trombone
Romero Lubambo - Acoustic guitar
Nick Moroch - Guitar
JT Lewis - Drums
Brian Dunne - Drums
Adrian Harpman - Drums
Bashiri Johnson - Percussion
Cyro Baptista - Percussion
Maya Azucena - Vocal
James D Train Williams - Vocal
Pamela-Driggs - Vocal
Rebecca Angel - Vocal

Special Guest:
Kenny Barron - Piano