If you are fortunate enough to hear a band that works together on a regular basis, you come away with a better understanding of how important communication is. Communication not just in music but in life. While it is important to be true to yourself as an individual you must also respect the individual nature of those around you. You must speak but at the same time listen and you must contribute without trampling the ideas and beliefs of others. In Jeremy Pelt’s latest release Men of Honor you can hear that level of communication.
The band consists of five of the brightest talents in music — Jeremy Pelt on trumpet/flugelhorn; J.D. Allen on tenor saxophone; Danny Grissett on piano; Dwayne Burno on bass and Gerald Cleaver on drums. This is an ensemble that when blended together provide intensity and adventure – two critical elements to good jazz. Each musician is not only a master communicator on their instruments, they are excellent composers, each contributing compositions to the recording.
With several diverse recordings under his belt, Jeremy is a musician who is very comfortable in his own skin. The time for comparisons is over. On trumpet he is capable of bringing the heat but has no problem speaking in soft velvet tones. He and J.D. Allen make a formidable front line with the powerful rhythm section of Grissett, Burno and Cleaver not just spurring them on but joining in the conversation. Men of Honor kicks off with the energetic “Backroad” and follows that with even more energy on “Milo Hayward” – a song dedicated to Jeremy’s newly arrived son. “Brooklyn Bound” arrives just in time to allow you to catch your breath before being taken on another ride with the adventurous “Danny Mack.” A personal favorite of mine is “Illusion” — Jeremy sounds amazing on muted trumpet.
The word honor can be defined as — a good name or public esteem. It is also defined as a showing of respect. With that in mind these men have honor and it shines with this recording. If you’re longing to hear a good musical conversation – Men of Honor is highly recommended.