Water and Earth Reviewed

With Water And Air, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt re-affirms his dedication to modern black music. Over the years he has absorbed the foundations of jazz: call-and-response, pacing, drama, interplay and tension and release.  It is especially that final principle that operates throughout Air and Water.

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Water and Earth out now on HighNote Records

"This music isn't about a change in the direction as much as it's about strengthening my commitment to my art at present." - Jeremy Pelt.

The disc is beautifully sequenced from the rushing whirlwind of Mystique to the elegant waltz of In Dreams. The pointillistic pulse of Prior Convictions leads to a fresh and powerful reading of Stanley Clarke’s Butterfly Dreams, the date’s only cover. Pelt’s sympathetic support players include two contemporary keyboard masters well-versed in shading and dynamics: David Bryant and Frank LoCrasto. It was just perfect to premiere Water And Earth on this late winter morning. To complete our 89.1 Jazz playlist, two fine female trumpet players were on the list for Women’s History Month: Bria Skonberg and Stacy Rowles. Their approaches were a fine foil for Jeremy Pelt.