Blues Twilight Review
All About Jazz- Jakob Bękgaard (December 2007)
Getting an endorsement from a living legend like Freddie
Hubbard seems like a dream situation for every aspiring trumpeter and here it
is, written out in bold types. Hubbard has written the liner notes for Richard
Boulger's second recording as a leader, Blues Twilight, and he is more than
thrilled about Boulger's playing, calling him “an impassioned improviser” with
“great chops and facility on the horn.”
There's a sense and respect of tradition that goes both ways
here. Hubbard is recognizing the voice of the new generation in words and
Boulger is paying homage to the old generation in his playing, taking up the
line from Louis Armstrong to Miles Davis with special emphasis on the modal
compositions of the 1960s and 1970s. The ability to adapt into tradition is a
virtue that is sometimes taken for granted in jazz. Nowadays, the typical young
jazz musician has eclectic tastes that encompass both Radiohead and Coltrane.
There's nothing wrong with that; jazz has never been a pure art form, but has
taken cues from different styles and genres. That said, it is refreshing to
hear a musician who works within a certain established paradigm without
necessarily trying to push the boundaries of the music with all sorts of
electronic devices.
Blues Twilight builds upon the foundation of the kind of music that is aptly described in its title. The deep sense of groove, the basic blues patterns and the challenging lines of the horn, all released in a howl of emotion. Music to be played in those dim lighted deserted diners that the painter Edward Hopper captured so evocatively.
Throughout the record there's a wide palette of tempi and
feelings. The cry of “The Eternal One,”with its fury and passion, is a tribute
to pianist John Hicks; Hicks graces all the numbers on the album except four,
where the piano chair is taken over by Anthony Wonsey. “Tears” is a sad ballad
dedicated to the victims of the 2004 tsunami in
Boulger strips down even more on “From the Night,” a short
but tender soliloquy where it's almost possible to follow every breath the
trumpeter takes. There's more to the album, though, than the introspective
moments. On tunes like “The Other Side,” “Miss Sarah” and “Letting Go,” the
band really stretches out. Saxophonist David Schnitter
The album ends with the epic “Time Flies,” and one is
tempted to say: indeed it does. Even though there is a generous seventy minutes
of new music here, there is not an ounce of fat or a dull moment. That is an
achievement in itself and speaks volumes about Boulger's talent.