City Life: Music of Gregg Hill

TOP JAZZ RELEASES - JUNE 2025
Trombonist Michael Dease scales back to trio on the first half of City Life, his third Origin release devoted to music by composer Gregg Hill (after The Other Shoe and Found in Space, both of which had fuller instrumentation). Disc one finds the leader stretching out in a chordless context with bassist Linda May Han Oh and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts. The format gives Dease endless room to deal on a high level with two of the great rhythm section players of our time. Disc two expands the lineup with pianist Geoffrey Keezer and tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover, mixing up the program with tunes by Dease ("Grave Concerns," "Skittles"), Gregory Tardy ("Mr. Hurt"), Emily Remler ("Blues for Herb") and trombone forebear J.J. Johnson ("Enigma," also "Sweet Georgia Gillespie" from disc one).

It's worth noting that Keezer is a Gregg Hill initiate, having played on The Other Shoe. His brilliant touch and harmonic sophistication elevate Hill's tunes from the start of the quintet's segment with "Tea Time." Glover and Dease in the front line make for greater arranging possibilities and ways of approaching Hill's engaging modern repertoire (Hill himself coproduced City Life and the previous two). Glover's tenor voice is a marvel throughout — her new trio release gets its own entry in this column, so read on.