There's plenty of cornet on the new Ben LaMar Gay record, but there's plenty more from the cornet player too. Yowzers, out this Friday via International Anthem, finds the multi-instrumentalist redefining his game, and that of the label he helped bring to wide acclaim.
"The Glorification of Small Victories" uses a blend of gospel-ish vocals and Tommaso Moretti's fierce drumming to create a swelling gem, while "There, Inside the Morning Glory" finds Gay's cornet pushing forward an insistent melody. That one, anchored by vocals, feels a cousin to late Coltrane and Seventies Mingus. It's not a huge band at work here, but it's big enough to give this some sweep and power. A forceful tuba from Matthew Davis punctuates the vocals and accents the central repeating motif. Elsewhere, "For Breezy" is elegant in its simplicity, and one of the loveliest pieces here on Yowzers. For me, the real highlight of this record is "Cumulus", a Monk-y composition which swings like a champ.
Ben LaMar Gay, like label-mates Damon Locks and Angel Bat Dawid, understands how to make jazz in the spirit of the form, while surprising listeners. The conventions of this most unconventional form are disregarded, and instrumentation adapted to each piece individually. It's not hard bop, nor fusion, and it's too carefully put together to be free jazz. But there's a decidedly retro and adventurous Afro-Futurism running through records like this one. It's hard to pinpoint, but it's a sensibility that places Ben LaMar Gay next to the very best that this fine label has to offer. And Yowzers offers up many examples of that eclecticism that International Anthem has virtually trademarked as their own. Dig it!
Yowzers by Ben LaMar Gay is out on Friday via International Anthem. Details below.
[Photo: Joe Jones]