In a life development I find most amusing I have come to be a regular contributor to what was once well known as the Village Voice Jazz Critics Poll, now published in ArtsFuse. My submissions stand out in that they include no albums or artists appearing on the lists from the other 130 contributors. This is a circumstance, that to Tom Hull, the current curator’s credit, they embrace rather than simply accommodate. When I make my 2024 list this December, Ricky Alexander’s new album, Just Found Joy, will be near the top of it and hopefully, this time, I won’t be the only one to have taken note.
This is in all ways an astoundingly good album of timeless jazz. I am primarily impressed by the pure musicianship, but also the stylistic vision, arrangements, and a choice selection of titles that gives the album a broad appeal. Ricky Alexander knew what he was going for and brought it together.
He started with an excellent group of musicians. Ricky plays soprano sax and clarinet and is perfectly complemented by Jon-Erik Kellso, one of my favorite trumpet players. Kellso brings out the best in him giving him a challenge to rise to. This is what a clarinet/trumpet front line should be. They are talking to each other, sometimes over each other with an excitement seemingly aware that impressed eavesdroppers are bearing witness. It’s brazen, and flirtatious, but not in the least pretentious. Kellso wins the battle to impress us, but he does have a few more years under his belt.
Two pianists split the work about evenly, Dalton Ridenhour being well known, and Jon Thomas being a rising talent. It so happens that each time I went to check who the pianist was on a title it was Thomas, he is expressive as well as impressive, but the arrangements on Ridenhour’s tracks seem to build him in more and let him run the keys. One of the things that stands out throughout the album is how much feeling everyone plays with.
Brennan Ernst on guitar helps keep a great rhythm with Rob Adkins on bass and drummer Kevin Dorn, but he also has a couple nice solos that perfectly complement Dalton Ridenhour’s piano runs in a way that stood out to me. Primarily though, with the exception of key tickling interludes from Ridenhour, the focus is on the memorable interplay of Kellso and Alexander. The rhythm section, are the underappreciated heroes of the album. When Adkins is put into focus accompanying a solo he shows you more clearly what he has been doing all along, providing the drive. Dorn and Ernst, while they do get licks in here and there, also seem to highlight their primary role when space opens for them, just keeping time, but more in your face about it.
Vanisha Gould sings vocals on four of twelve tracks, and Ricky sings on one other. She is a marvel! I see that she relocated to NYC from the West Coast in 2015 and has a 2021 album with Lucy Yeghiazaryan. She has a sound influenced by Ella, but distinctly hers, Nellie Lutcher comes to mind, that bluesy late ’40s feel.
The pace of play is upbeat and forward leaning even on the ballads, but never aggressive even in the heat of “High Society.” It exudes joy.
The album had me in the pocket within a few bars of the opener, “People Will Say We’re In Love,” and by the time “Sweet Lorraine” spread out into solos I knew this was a special album. “King Porter Stomp” took it up a few notches and showed me their roots were deep. Ridenhour shines on that one and while Kellso shines throughout he is on fire here. Those first three titles set the bar high.
The mewing opening of Cole Porter’s “Just One Of Those Things” is so entertaining and fresh feeling that this has to be my favorite track on an album full of excellence. It reminded me of finding Ella’s Mac the Knife LP when I was a teenager. I may have been primed for that memory by some playful piano references to Mack The Knife by Jon Thomas on the previous track, “It Had To Be You,” a track likely to be the highlight for most listeners.
“High Society” takes the best of classic New Orleans versions, increasing the speed and polyphony to a maximum, while referencing other New Orleans classics and giving subsets of the band, like bass and piano, space to run. It isn’t the most memorable version, but it’s high flying fun and they express something deep inside the well worn groove that makes it a worthy new rendition of a war horse that doesn’t get the play it used to.
That sped up feeling continues into “Fine and Dandy” with Gould back. This is the best track on the album to take note of Thomas at the piano. The tempo finally slows for Alexander to sing in his clear voice on “Don t Blame Me”. He is better than most male singers in our genre, and thankfully while keeping the diction of early sweet singers makes no attempt to put on a period accent. The contrast is clear when Gould kicks of “Spring Is Here” with a timeless vocal that recalls Billie Holiday only because it is hard to imbue that quiet passion and not. Her voice is an insturment.
The album closes with “Rubber Plant Rag,” a period rag the gives Ricky a chance to focus on his clarinet and go out on a stomping high note.
With Broadway and songbook standards, and perennial crowd-pleasers like “Sweet Lorraine” and “It Had To Be You” the album has a broad appeal that I hope find’s its way out of our insular alcove of classic jazz to playlists everywhere. This album deserves to make the rounds on jazz radio and adult contemporary circuits and bring some joy, and cashflow, to these amazing musicians. (Get a Tiny Desk Concert, guys!) The press material for this album was such an insightful and well-written review I intend to recruit the author to TST. The album notes insert on the other hand was hilariously not that. Those wordless eight pages are joyful, but I do appreciate album notes.
The album was released by Turtle Bay Records and can be found on Bandcamp as well as Ricky Alexader’s website and streaming services.
Just Found Joy
Ricky Alexander
Turtle Bay Records
www.rickyalexanderjazz.com
