Tell the Truth

4-STARS Pianist, composer, and teacher Ben Markley (*1981) has become known in recent years as the leader of his outstanding big band, but has also impressed with his quartet formations with saxophonists Joel Frahm and Greg Osby. On "Tell the Truth," he and his quintet recall the great quintet albums of the Blue Note era of the 1960s, with the trumpet replaced by the outstanding guitarist Steve Kovalcheck. Markley composed all of the album's tracks, offering a diverse potpourri of swinging, ballad-like, groovy, and soulful sounds, played by first-class musicians such as Will Swindler, Rodney Whitaker, and Kyle Swan. Particularly successful are "Snowy Range Blues," a strongly grooving blues in which Rodney Whitaker shines with his bass playing, "Rimshot," with furious solos on guitar, piano, and alto saxophone, and "Tuesday Morning Feeling," with a Latin jazz touch and great solos on guitar and piano.