Sleep Won't Come by John McNeil

17 Apr

Written by Mark Keresman
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Trumpeter John McNeil is a new quantity to this writer -- upon further research I learned he's been around since the 70s, playing with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra and the Horace Silver Quintet, along with leading his own groups with several albums on Steeplechase to his credit. McNeil is of the dryly lyrical, middle-range Miles Davis/Chet Baker school, but it seems he's also taken night classes at the Lester Bowie/W. Leo Smith School of Extended Trumpetry, mixing avant-garde elements with cerebral yet swinging post-bop. Sleep Won't Come (my pick for album title of the year) sounds like the album Chet Baker and George Russell might've made together or Miles might've had he gone into the studio after Agharta with just Joe Zawinul and Dave Holland & decided to "re-visit" his acoustic style of the early 60s and the Cool's Birth-rate of the early 50s: concise, witty tunes with a restless yet focused sense of Stretching It Wider. Sleep... is one of those (very fine) albums you might give to a friend who thinks s/he is "scared" of avant-ish sounds.... or to yourself.

Additional Info

Artist / Group Name: John McNeil
CD Title: Sleep Won't Come
Genre: Ambient Jazz
Year Released: 2004
Record Label: OmniTone
Musicians: J. McN.: trumpet; Jeff Jenkins: piano, prepared piano; Kent McLagan: bass.
Label Website: http://www.OmniTone.com
Rating: Four Stars