Thomas Marriott's trumpet sound is as lush and inviting as it comes.
Thomas Marriott has, in a series of 10 beautifully executed and well received albums on Origin, more than proved his jazz credentials with formidable technique & fluency, celebration of the tradition and a deep joy of extemporaneous risk-taking. On this recording, however, Thomas strips things down to their essence, taking all he has accrued and employing it to delve deep into the heart, leaving us with only his beautiful sound and the truth of the stories being told. Wanting to create something beyond a jazz ballads album, Thomas and his producer, vibist Joe Locke, imagined something more operatic in nature, with each song resembling a free-standing aria. They teamed with pianist/composer Ryan Cohan to arrange and orchestrate this collection of ten classic & modern jazz compositions, popular tunes and several original works by Locke and Cohan, creating a sumptuous, glowing palette over which the melodies and solos can soar.
Track Listing:
1. Dexter's Tune 3:15 Randy Newman
2. Forgiveness 4:49 Joe Locke
3. I Remember Sky 4:37 Stephen Sondheim
4. Piggyback 4:35 Bob Schneider
5. Ghost In This House 5:16 Hugh Prestwood
6. Always And Forever 5:34 Pat Metheny
7. Kampala Moon 3:09 Ryan Cohan
8. Now 2:50 Bobby Hutcherson
9. Alibi Room 5:15 Locke
10. Somewhere Over The Rainbow 5:12 Harold Arlen
All arrangements by Ryan Cohan, except (4,5,9,10), by Joe Locke
Performers:
Thomas Marriott - trumpet & flugelhorn
Joe Locke - vibraphone, drum programming
Ryan Cohan - piano, fender rhodes, orchestrations and software instrument performances &
programming
Jeff Johnson - bass
John Bishop - drums
Production Info:
Produced by Joe Locke & Ryan Cohan
Recorded by Floyd Reitsma at Avast Recording Co., Seattle, WA
on June 12th, 2017
Mixed by Ryan Cohan, Chicago, IL
Mastered by Ed Brooks at Resonant Mastering, Seattle, WA
Additional recording by Jay Follette, Avast Recording Co.
Photos by Steve Korn Photography
Cover design & layout by John Bishop
Reviews of Romance Language
All About Jazz (Dan McClenaghan)
Trumpeter Thomas Marriott moved back to Seattle after the requisite New York stint, where he worked with Maynard Ferguson's Big Bop Nouveau band, the Chico O'Farrill Orchestra, and vibraphonist Joe Locke. Back on west coast home ground, he connected with the Seattle-based Origin Records, where he released ten top-notch albums as a leader, including ...
All About Jazz (Paul Rauch)
4 1/2 STARS Trumpeter Thomas Marriott has established his jazz credentials over the years through a collection of beautifully inspired and well received albums on the Origin Records label. His formidable chops, extensive vocabulary, respect for tradition and penchant for musical adventurism has put him into the conversation concerning the top prac ...
Midwest Record (Chris Spector)
Showing once again that his trumpet has one of the clearest, cleanest tones extant, Marriott fearlessly changes course again showing yet another facet to his interests and chops. A reminder of just how nice this can sound when played far from the maddening crowd, Marriott and producer Joe Locke raise their flag and ask ‘who needs majors?' if you ...
JazzDaGama (Raul da Gama)
In the recent history of music, the term "mainstream" when associated with playing in the style of Jazz has attracted somewhat negative connotations which, although sometimes justified, is probably just as well especially in the case of this Thomas Morgan recording entitled Romance Language. His music certainly prepares the way for something we mig ...
Jazz Weekly (George Harris)
Rich ballads and romantic moods are produced by Thomas Marriott, who plays tender trumpet and fluid flugelhorn as he's supported by the orchestrations and programming by keyboardist Ryan Cohen, vibe master Joe Lock, bassist Jeff Johnson and deft drummer John Bishop. The pastoral strings serve as rich drapery as Locke adds thoughtful vibes to Marrio ...
Jazz Journal (London) (Nigel Jarrett)
Jazz might be called the art of theme and variations, the art applying as much to the theme as the way a musician plays around with it. Everyone knows the themes, the tunes, whether written by a jazz composer/musician or someone working in a showbiz area considered not unadjacent. But rarely does anyone devote as much attention to the tune as unado ...
