Mosaic: The Music of Gregg Hill

4-STARS In their fourth collaboration on Origin Records, bassist and bandleader Rodney Whitaker and Central Michigan composer Gregg Hill strike gold once again, backed by a formidable gathering of musicians. Hill's music has experienced a surge in interest due to his prolific releases on Origin, which have featured musicians in and around the impressive jazz faculty roster at Michigan State University, a program with Whitaker at the helm.

Hill's compositions have a notable sound uniquely tied to both urban Detroit and the Michigan countryside. Sweeping melodies seem to express the structured machinations of daily urban reality, while others feel like wispy clouds hanging over lakefront countryside in the isolation of a Michigan winter. The opening two tracks are a case in point.

The title track begins in unison between trumpeter Terell Stafford and saxophonist Tim Warfield. The opening statement soon evolves into a swinging Whitaker bass line that strides down the avenue prompting a following of melodic bursts from Stafford. Warfield follows on soprano, snaking his way in and out of Whitaker's cadence and the timely chordal chops of pianist Rick Roe. Chicago stalwart Dana Hall is in subtle push mode behind the beat. The tune is a statement of Whitaker's pure sense of swing, and his absolutely unique way of putting it down. While he and Roe are the avatars of swing and harmony on this tune and the album as a whole, each is equally adept in his solo efforts. It sounds so simple—the music swings as it has as a genre for a century, yet somehow Whitaker manages to put a true signature on it, in a way that inspires groove and freedom..

"Unknown Ballad" adds a vocal element, featuring Rockelle Whitaker. While the ballad has a bit of a cop-out title, nobody is copping out of anything in performance of the ballad. Whitaker's voice is expressive in the narrative, with fine nuance and color adorning each note. Roe's solo brings out the beauty outside the bones of the tune, adding melodic prose within a lithe, resonant harmonic structure. Whitaker's vocals are strikingly narrative in her precise recitation of the lyrics, which are presented with a dynamic range that is thoughtfully soulful.

"Claxilever" takes us back to hard swinging post bop jazz, with Stafford featured on a snarly blues-engaged solo that glides through the changes like a shark seeking its next prey. Warfield responds on tenor, with his trademark full-bodied sound. His flashing lightning-quick runs are tempered by long throaty notes that leave a listener out on the edge before being pulled back into the swinging flow of the tune. The rhythm section, however, is the thing here—the Whitaker-led trio has logged some serious time together over the years, and that bears fruit on this recording. While Hill's compositions are skillfully written and arranged, and the front line provides superb melodic contributions, Whitaker, Roe and Hall provide the gravity for the music to be cohesive and strong. They do so with virtuosity and presence.

Whitaker returns for "Moonscape," sharing the melodic limelight with the solos of her bandmates. Warfield, in particular, is notable, offering a short tenor solo that is on point in lashing together Hill's penchant for producing urban compositions adorned with gray glimpses of the Michigan countryside. The four tunes on the album that include singing are not introduced as "vocal tunes"; the vocalist is utilized as a contributing musician, working within the same parameters as her bandmates. Most of the instrumental solos are short and to the point, as is Whitaker in her skillful charge through the lyrical prose she imparts.

Mosaic: The Music of Greg Hill is the fourth collaboration between Hill and Whitaker on Origin, the eighth overall on the highly regarded Seattle-based label. Two sessions led by trombonist Michael Dease, and two more led by guitarist Randy Napoleon are on the label as well. Hill's decade-long creative surge continues to produce great music, placed in the hands of musicians like Whitaker, surrounded by the tremendous talent that inhabits the great jazz city of Detroit.