Trumpeter, bandleader, composer, and recording conceptualist Tom Harrell is a man of ambition, and on Wise Children he’s outdone himself. The most attention-grabbing factor is, of course, the guest appearances of three leading female jazz singers: Cassandra Wilson, Jane Monheit, and Dianne Reeves. That he was able to rope in this talent is testament to the regard in which Harrell is held within the jazz community. Gracing one tune apiece, each of the three vocalists distinguishes herself, mellifluously intoning words set to Harrell melodies that had previously appeared in instrumental form on his earlier albums. But there’s much more to the album than the vocal numbers. Harrell beefs up his working quintet with percussion, horns, and guitar, as well as a string section, in order to achieve the sophisticated tonal and rhythmic effects he aims for. Drawing from a palette that includes funk and Latin strains, among other influences, Harrell constructs a grand sound world that also leaves lots of room for his celebrated work on both trumpet and flugelhorn, and for deft contributions by pianist Xavier Davis and saxophonists Jimmy Greene and Myron Walden. Thinking big doesn’t always guarantee success; in this case it has.
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