A reworking of New Gospel material trumpeter Marquis Hill released at the beginning of his career and which was pretty obscure back then. Recorded live in Chicago with some stellar players including vibes star Joel Ross and Pat Metheny keyboardist James Francies at first I thought the album was a little dour but that impression dissipates quickly enough and you get a hard bop-and-beyond masterclass of trumpet full of joy and passion from Hill complete with some great band interplay often involving Francies pushing and challenging the excellent compositions. Ross adds some glorious touches say on 'Autumn' and Kendrick Scott's drumming is as ever a joy. Catch Marquis Hill at Ronnie Scott's tomorrow night
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