Gratitude,
Eric Felten's second CD as a leader, finds the young trombonist in the company of some seasoned veterans, but his confident playing doesn't give away his age.
Brent Wallarab contributed the arrangements, which start with a stunning take of
Johnny Hodges' "Jeep's Blues." Though trumpeter
Randy Brecker, tenor saxophonist
Joe Lovano, and the leader each produce a great solo, it is bass clarinetist
Bob Mintzer (who sounds somewhat inspired by
Eric Dolphy) who steals the show with his adventurous solo.
Felten's lyrical tone in the ballad "I Fall in Love Too Easily" has a vocal quality to it. The remainder of the session is devoted to
Felten's originals. His fat-toned solo leads off the brisk-paced "Pretty Lies," while it is the richly textured harmony of the unison passages in the ballad "Gratitude" that stay with the listener. "Pie-Eye" (the name of the character
Duke Ellington played in the film Anatomy of a Murder) is not a swing composition but very heavily post-bop, though one could imagine
Ellington tilting his earlobe and snapping on the afterbeat in approval. The rhythm section, consisting of pianist
Jonny King, bassist
Ira Coleman (with
Paul Henry subbing on one track), and drummer
Billy Drummond, is first-rate. The only surprise is that
Felten didn't release another CD as a leader until 2003, eight years after this excellent disc. ~ Ken Dryden