Waking Dream

4-STARS "Waking Dream" is a project by guitarist Randy Napoleon and composer Gregg Hill that puts a focus on imaginative compositions and music that leans into the sonics of multiple guitars to illuminate its message. Across ten original compositions (split between Hill and Napoleon), "Waking Dream" uses its unlikely orchestration of five guitars interwoven with piano trio and select horns to explore themes of dissociation, resilience, and wonder. There's invention here and a grounded clarity of the jazz tradition.

The opener, "Super Moon," sets the tone with Napoleon's labyrinthine writing for guitar ensemble. Harmonies are interesting in their orchestration for the multiple guitars as they lock into the Latin-inspired groove carried by Rodney Whitaker's sturdy bass and Quincy Davis' subtle, kinetic drumming. Rick Roe's piano gleams with the guitars, forming a pointillistic sound swirling with harmonic gravity. For the solo sections, the feel switches to a relaxed swing jazz blues. The dialogue Napoleon speaks in his soloing is based on bop through today's modern pentatonic colors. Jocelyn Gould's guitar solo takes the ending blues jazz guitar sounds of Napolean and continues it, remaining sensitive to that fluid style.

Gregg Hill's "The Speckled Frog" showcases the other anchor of the album's creative core with a composition of rhythmic playfulness embedded in form. The melody's catchiness and logical flow of harmony is captured by the multi-textured guitar frontline. The arrangement dives headlong into exploratory counterpoint and group responsiveness, upon which Hill's music is grounded. The five guitars never overwhelm, they dance, scatter, punctuate, and rub, allowing the composition to take on a unique quality only five stringed instruments could achieve. Anthony Stanco's trumpet adds a fresh propulsion during his solo. Napoleon and Turner deliver musical and jazz-grounded solos.

"Waking Dream," originally intended as a solo for Napoleon, is a mysterious straight eight composition by Hill. The theme breathes, with every chord and counterpoint carefully voiced, and every rest weighted with purpose. Chris Minami's lyrical solo unfurls with a warm tone and rhythm. Roe's piano solo is graceful and pulsing. Napoleon's "Two Thoughts" shifts the energy, offering a contrapuntal piece in duality. The interweaving motifs feature the sonic depth of the five guitarists playing with cross-rhythms and layered textures. The result is a piece that reflects Napoleon's ongoing study of classical form and compositional voice.

"Café Brasilia," a Hill original, is a kaleidoscope of sounds. The groove nods to samba and bossa, the architecture shifting meters and layered voicings to create a fractal-like unfolding. Roe and Gould solo in warmth and elegantly turned phrases. The crystalline tone of the guitars gives Hill's melody a shimmer.

"The Singer" is a Hill composition with interesting Latin textures and swing feel. Langston Kitchen bass and Michael J. Reed drums are the driving core rhythm section for this performance. Napoleon and Luke Sittard play unflinching, dynamic, and rich in soul guitar solos. Roe's piano feature shows intuition of time feel, elastic yet grounded. The last chorus has the guitars providing a big-band-like ensemble, shaping the harmonic space and melody.

"52 Pickup" keeps Kitchen and Reed to support the ensemble's impressive, cohesive ensemble playing. Napoleon has a gift for writing tension and release into group voicings, and the band rides those curves like a seasoned unit. The lines are quick, the grooves deep, and the interplay electrifying. The piece remains coherent thanks to the seasoned architecture of Hill's writing and Napoleon's arrangement.

The last third of the album continues in its guitar-driven journey. "Riverside Blossoms," penned by Napoleon, features outstanding guitar counterpoint and voicings for an intro. The gentle swing feel supports a lyrical melody arranged for the five guitars with clarity and jazz style. Michael Dease makes a guest appearance on trombone. Napoleon's solo reflects his velvet-wrapped tone as he builds phrases that accumulate into an enjoyable solo. "Jo Jo Jo" returns to Hill's composition pen with a whimsical yet philosophical jazz ballad. Hill's composition has subtle shifting in motifs and an episodic form. Napoleon and Sittard offers solos of lyricism.

Napoleon's "Boom Boom" closes the album with a burst of swing energy. The different subtle textures of the guitars are coming through. Guitarist Ben Truner and Gould channel a strong hard-bop voice in their textured soloing and interaction. Walter Blanding's tenor enters like a sermon. His tone is robust, preaching with a rhythmic fire. It's a celebratory closer. There's a knowingness in its joy, an optimism of composer and performer, a perfect summation of Napoleon's vision.

Throughout "Waking Dream," the recurring theme is clarity in the invention that jazz guitars can bring to the table. Napoleon achieves this with a group varied in age, background, and voice. Through his leadership, he builds community as a creative force. In Gregg Hill, he's found an ideal partner, one who continues to stretch the language of jazz composition with wit, courage, and heart.