Pianist
Darrell Grant showcases some of neo-bop's strengths on this ambitious two-disc set from Origin Records. Looking back to the bop era for inspiration,
Grant also astutely mixes in classical elements, folk themes, flirts with light R&B, and walks surely and boldly into pop territory, all through a bop lens from the vantage point of the 21st century. Working with guitarists
Bill Frisell and
Adam Rogers, saxophonist
Steve Wilson, vibist
Joe Locke, drummer
Brian Blade, and bassist
John Patitucci,
Grant balances trio, quartet, and quintet settings with a handful of vocal pieces (
Grant sounds a bit like a slightly cautious
Keb' Mo' when he sings, which is actually kind of endearing) into a loosely constructed suite that rose out of
Grant's close study of the cultural and political struggles in South Africa. Adding to the recurrent themes of hope and freedom that emerge here are several spoken word samples from the likes of Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, John Kennedy, and Franklin D. Roosevelt that are carefully woven into the sequence at key points. That it all works is a testament to
Grant's ability to balance accessibility with purpose, and
Truth and Reconciliation, although it has a theme and several urgent points to make, never sounds like a treatise and avoids pretension somehow, even though it includes two versions of
Sting's "King of Pain."
Grant also visits
Dizzy Gillespie's "Algo Bueno" here, along with
Betty Carter's "Tight" (one of the best single tracks on
Truth and Reconciliation, along with the sweeping "Blues for the Masters"),
Jerome Kern's "The Way You Look Tonight," and a surprisingly effective treatment of
Sheryl Crow's "I Shall Believe."
Grant has constructed an approach to jazz and bop that is capable of being all things to all camps while still pursing his own creative and personal exploration, and this balancing act over what can be incredibly thin ice is a pretty impressive achievement.
Grant is inquisitive, likeable, and skilled, and so is
Truth and Reconciliation. ~ Steve Leggett