Bellflower

Originally from St. Louis and now based in New York, Jun Iida is a very good jazz trumpeter with an attractive mellow tone and impressive technique whose style is based in hard bop. Following up on his debut recording Evergreen, Bellflower teams him with pianist-keyboardist Chris McCarthy, guitarist Masami Kuroki, bassist Giulio Xavier Cetto, drummer Jongkuk Kim, and Takafumi Nikaido on congas. Together they perform nine of Iida's originals plus "The Final View" which is really the "Love Theme From Spartacus."

Most of the originals have attractive melodies, particularly the infectious "Hotaru Nights," "Next Time," and the warm ballad "Chasing Peace." Iida, whose tone sometimes recalls Kenny Dorham a little, is a fluent soloist with consistently creative ideas within the jazz tradition. McCarthy (both on Fender Rhodes and piano) and guitarist Kuroki take concise solos that fit in well with the music, the rhythm section is supportive and swinging (with bassist Cetto occasionally having a solo), and Zelda Harris contributes some spoken word to "Will They Remember" which is about the sacrifices that mothers make during the time of war.

All in all, this is a delightful set of music that makes the case for Jun Iida being considered one of the top up-and-coming jazz trumpeters in addition to being a skilled songwriter.