When the Heart Emerges Glistening

Ambrose Akinmusire | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 5, 2011)
• Original Release Date: 2011
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B004NCOQMY
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,220 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Co-produced by Akinmusire and his label mate and mentor Jason Moran, the album's 12 songs (10 of which were composed by Akinmusire) feature the 28-year-old trumpeter's young quintet (tenor saxophonist Walter Smith III, pianist Gerald Clayton, bassist Harish Raghavan, and drummer Justin Brown), a close-knit group of longtime friends and frequent collaborators that breathes a remarkable collective identity. The New York Times wrote that the quintet "seems destined for much wider recognition," and described their unique sound as "limber, straight-ahead jazz with mystery and pop instincts that gets around most of the old, pervasive mainstream influences, both of trumpet playing and bandleading."

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 49 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Future of Jazz April 9, 2011

By Jonathan Guarriello

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

Hello & thanks for reading. Here we have what I like to refer to as the future of jazz because Ambrose & the guys on this album are all young men in their prime.
These are the next batch of players like the masters that came before that are taking the music to fresh areas of expression & into the future. Anyhow here you have the second album by 29yr old trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire a native of Oakland CA that now resides in the fertile jazz scene of NYC. Ambrose has been playing & performing on the international jazz scene for more than a decade first coming to my attention in 2000 as a member of Steve Coleman's Five Elements appearing on Resistance Is Futile. In my opinion Ambrose stands out in a scene with a great number of heavy hitting trumpeters not just because he has chops to spare but because the man is a composer of the first rate.

If I had to make a comparison I'd say he & Terrence Blanchard are in the same musical sphere but that would make sense because Ambrose studied with Blanchard while attending The Monk Institute. All things aside I believe Ambrose is only at the start of his journey.

I always like to acknowledge the supporting cast of an album. Ambrose has assembled an awesome quintet to realize his compositions. Walter Smith iii on tenor is one of my personal favorites working today, he's developed a unique sound on his horn and featured Ambrose on his latest album for Criss Cross III as well as his two previous albumsLive in Paris &Casually Introducing. Justin Brown is on drums reprising his role from Ambrose's 1st albumPrelude (to Cora). In my opinion Brown's drumming is excellent for this music because you need a 21st century drummer to play music that's fresh like the music here, also Brown & Ambrose have grown up together allowing a chemistry seldom found in alot of todays jazz recordings. Justin's drumming touches on many styles & cultures, I hear serious Afro-Cuban blended with the church & hip hop. He's able to coax a tremendous amount of varied sounds from his snare & toms that has that very tribal African feel to it a la Eric Harland. Check out "My Name is Oscar" a drum composition that isn't like a typical drum solo hence the use of the words "drum composition" it features Justin's playing with interesting audio clips of monologue layered within which shows a serious talent, this man is smoking!
On acoustic bass Harish Raghavan a new name to me, I first heard him laying it down behind pianist Taylor Eigsti on his cd Let It Come to You Harish commands a dark fat clear tone that supports the low end duties of the harmony with ease while stepping forward now & again to let know he's there at just the right moments. Gerald Clayton is playing piano and boy does he play! You may never guess that your hearing a 26 yr old, he has plenty of chops at the keyboard but he usually never allows them to dominate his playing instead a poised elegance with groove that can swing I always think he sounds a bit like Wynton Kelly with shades of Bill Evans & Oscar Peterson. Check out Clayton's newest trio offeringBond: The Paris Sessions .The reason I believe this music has the sparks that it does is because all the band members are a tight group of musical partners & they're friends after the music stops.

There's no generational gap between the players they're all young men living their dream & I must say the music they produce together is very beautiful. Here are a few of the albums musical high moments for me personally. The lead off track Confessions to My Unborn Daughter is a beautiful ensemble piece that is very dynamic & contains some unpredictable twists as well as light & dark harmony, the piece reminds me at times of Brian Blade's FellowShip Group. Henya bass intro features some nice melodic solo playing from Harish Raghavan which segues seamlessly into Henya which is a beautiful melodic ballad that has Jason Moran stepping in to join Clayon's acoustic piano on Fender Rhodes. The harmony reminds me of the way Mingus or Monk used dissonance to represent beauty like Good Bye Porkpie Hat & Ruby My Dear, the melody is very simple & quite catchy. This music seems to be more introspective & lyrical in comparison to Prelude (to Cora)but there are lots of nice burning moments of intensity especially from the soloists. I feel the tension created within the music is always well balanced along side the more romantic chamber aspect of this music. Ambrose delivers a masterful trumpet performance on the hauntingly beautiful Regret(No More) he really makes the trumpet sing in ways I'v personally never experienced until now. With that final remark I'll close by saying I think this album When The Heart Emerges Glistening is a fantastic piece of beautiful music that must be heard & experienced to fully appreciate. Check this one out!

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic April 8, 2011

By Scott G. Blair

Format:MP3 Music|Amazon Verified Purchase

This kid has been around for 10+ years now, though this is only his second solo album, but he has played on many other albums. Ambrose is a fantastic artist; he has a great sound and surrounds himself with some really good talent. This album is beautiful, interesting, and just a lot of fun to listen to. The mood of his falls inline with what some of the really cool trumpeters of today are putting out, while still creating something totally unique. I highly recommend this album.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars groundbreaking September 16, 2011

By Leung Hoi Tung

Format:Audio CD

I had read quite a few positive reviews about it before, but still this album beat my high expectations. It offered a totally new listening experience, allowing general audience members like me to appreciate jazz from a different perspective. When his heart emerges glistering, Ambrose Akinmusire seems to have a lot of stories to tell. No matter they are tragedy or romance, the young trumpeter tells the stories brilliantly, with seamless interactions with the other fellows in the band, particularly Walter Smith III, an outstanding saxophonist in his own right. I would highly recommend this album to anyone who wants to hear what's so exciting about jazz today.