If you recall the stirring Shayna Steele song 'The Bloodline' from a couple of months back pianist David Cook co-wrote the song with Steele and Kamilah Marshall. And here the tunes are just as remarkable on an instrumentals affair - Cook does big cadenced hymnal feel really well. And on 'Brighter Places' it's like looking at the sun and just smiling as your face muscles relax. With drummer Kendrick Scott setting the pace, an A list player known for his work with Terence Blanchard, Ben Wendel is also on the record - the gutsy saxist's All One is marlbank album of the week. Cook as a leader is not perhaps as well known as every other player (!) on the record - trumpeter Philip Dizack, wonderful on 'St Lawrence' and fine bassist Matt Clohesy complete the sound. So much for fickle notions of profile that are more about projection and certainly subjective at a volatile level. Profile can go up and down. A record that is very vulnerable at times - in a good way - say 'St Lawrence'. And you end up thinking of pastoral masterpieces on ECM - it's that perfect for space and moderating of mood and moment. I was quite moved especially on 'Visitor From Everywhere' where there is a superb riff from Clohesy that appears from nowhere and fleetingly that you will just have to press repeat to catch again and again. SG
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