Financial Times: On the Tender Spot of Every Calloused Moment — Emotionally Rich

In a new release, the standout trumpeter of his generation conjures a wealth of emotion

Ambrose Akinmusire’s emotional poise, breathtaking virtuosity and tonal control were already in place when he released his first album for the Blue Note record label in 2011. Five albums on, at 38 he is the standout trumpeter of his generation, a lead figure in contemporary jazz and a master of capturing the contradictions of the African-American experience. His latest release, On the Tender Spot of Every Calloused Moment is as emotionally rich as the title suggests. Here, bespoke structures have deep jazz roots. Joyous turns of phrase are tempered with the blues, and tragedy and bliss fuse into a single pinched and breathy note. The album begins with the trumpeter unaccompanied, introducing “Tide of Hyacinth” with focus, breath and an understated technique. A crisp Justin Brown drum roll ups the ante, Harish Raghavan enters with a tumult of double bass and then a brief silence. The music resumes with resonant swirls of Sam Harris piano and finishes with a dead stop, but by then guest Cuban vocalist Jesús Diaz has toasted in Yoruba and Akinmusire has soared to the heights. Later “Mr. Roscoe (consider the simultaneous)” follows an equally tangential path and “Blues (We measure the heart with a fist)” moves steadily from abstract flutters to forceful riffs. These musical structures border on the free, but Akinmusire’s quartet have been together for ten years, and their playing glows with group understanding. Elsewhere compositions sustain a single mood. The thoughtful “Yessss” unfolds like smoke in moonlight, the duet lullaby “Cynical sideliners” features vocalist Genevieve Artadi with Akinmusire on Fender Rhodes and “Roy”, a tribute to the late trumpeter Roy Hargrove, is a dignified processional. The thoughtful mood piece “reset (quiet victories&celebrated defeats)” delivers pinched high notes floating in acres of space. The album ends with Akinmusire alone and distinctive on Fender Rhodes. As “Hooded procession (read the names outloud)” moves steadily from resonance to fading wisp, it conjures a wealth of emotion from within.

★★★★★

‘On the Tender Spot of Every Calloused Moment’ is released by Blue Note