CD review: Tim Armacost feat. Tom Harrell, Gary Smulyan, John Patitucci & Al Foster – Something About Believing – 2024: Video, CD cover

After a life of travel and discovery on three continents, Grammy winning saxophonist, composer and author Tim Armacost has established himself as one of the most important improvisers on the New York scene today. Featuring the cream-of-the-crop of the city, Armacost’s Chordless Quintet presents their new record ‘Something About Believing’.

Brought together by their outstanding contributions to music, collaborations with household names including Chick Corea, Bill Evans, Carla Bley, Miles Davis, and Wayne Shorter to name but a few, as well as through living in Hastings-on-Hudson (a suburb of NYC), Armacost, Al Foster (drums), John Patitucci (bass) and Gary Smulyan (saxophone) have been performing together since 2016.

Expanding the quartet’s sound through the addition of a third horn voice (Tom Harrell, trumpet), the five piece’s recording plans were put on hold due to the pandemic. Joyfully reunited in April of 2022, the ensemble’s new record is a musical reflection of optimism, of the sun returning after a long night.

Inspired by Ray Drummond’s description of Miles Davis’ approach – “Gather a group of master musicians and turn them loose…” – Armacost selected the repertoire to facilitate gratifying and meaningful musical conversations. Unafraid to be unpretentious, the album’s sound is of five master instrumentalists being themselves in a straightforward, uninhibited jazz context. Deep swing grooves, effortless explorative improvisations and the rich texture of three-part horn arrangements serve as the record’s primary building blocks, expanded outwards through interactive musicianship and the dynamic exchange of ideas and energy.

“I chose songs for this record that are beautiful and relatively simple to play on, so everyone could just revel in the experience of playing for fun, and not having to think too much. This record is about human beings rather than ideas.”

1 It’s Really Just A Blues
2 Dance With The Lady
3 The Chief
4 Something ‘Bout Believing
5 Oska T
6 Vendetta – Harold Land
7 Disunited States

Tim Armacost | Tenor Saxophone
Tom Harrell | Trumpet
Gary Smulyan | Baritone Saxophone
John Patitucci | Bass
Al Foster | Drums