Trumpeter Anthony Branker has spent recent years focusing solely on composing and in the director?s chair, and its yielded as strong a discography as anybody?s in the last decade. In addition to his Word Play ensemble, Branker also has Ascent, which features a quintet of Mark Gross on alto & soprano sax, Ralph Bowen on tenor sax, Jonny King on Fender Rhodes, Kenny Davis on bass, and Donald Edwards on drums. Modern jazz that has roots in Jazz past. Euphoric, but grounded in solid technique. A soulful album that should only be the start of any exploration of Branker?s work.