Urban Folklore

If they'd had music like this in the 'burbs I grew up in, I wouldn't have had to search far & wide for "cool".... Thomas's penetrating trumpet work on tunes like the fantastic opener, "Apophis", are definitely the stuff of jazz legend... his choice of Orrin Evans on piano, Eric Revis on bass & Donald Edwards on drums shows total talent (just in the picking of the players). If it's magic or a spell that needs to be cast, you're certain to dig deep down into the almost mystic "Mo-Joe"... these guys can rock it out, to be sure! The bass intro on "Living On The Minimum" is among the best bass work I've heard (yet) in 2015, & the tune cooks right along through all 6:01; simply splendid jazz for the dedicated fan or the jazz novice. My personal favorite of the nine tunes offered up, though, was the well-cadenced closer, "Washington Generals"... displays total cool and a total understanding of what jazz is meant to be. I give Thomas & his crew a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, with an "EQ" (energy quotient) rating of 4.99.