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Pharez Whitted - Transient Journey
Pharez Whitted – Trumpet
Eddie Bayard – Saxophones
Bobby Broom – Guitar
Ron Perrillo – Keyboards
Dennis Carroll – Bass
Gene Artry – Drums
Trumpeter Pharez Whitted, originally from Indianapolis, has started making noise here in Chicago as of late. Performing all over town with his own group and with the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, he’s quickly joined the ranks of the best players in this city’s amazing jazz scene. He’s also teaching on the South Side at Chicago State University. And while he wasn’t busy doing all of that, he managed to put out one hell of a great CD, Transient Journey.
If you’re looking for a good comparison to what you’ll hear on this disc, I’ll refer you straight to the CTI era catalog of fellow trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. Of course, Freddie was also originally from Indianapolis, and in the liner notes to Transient Journey, mention is made that Whitted’s father played with Hubbard in the fifties. But the influence here goes well beyond some sort of regional allegiance. Instead, this is a rather interesting disc that sounds like a not so distant relative to First Light or Red Clay. In other words, if you’re a fan of good jazz, you’re going to like this disc.
It does become much easier to like a disc when the supporting players are the cast seen here. Every jazz fan in Chicago and plenty throughout the world know of Bobby Broom, a fantastic guitarist who plays with a jaw dropping list of great players, as well as with his own group. Broom lifts this disc up every time he makes himself heard.
Pianist Ron Perrillo is one of my local favorites. Blessed with great technique, a ton of groove and great ears, he’s an asset to every single musical project on which I’ve heard him. He doesn’t disappoint here. His piano playing is crisp and sharp, and his Rhodes playing is funky in all the right ways. Dennis Carroll often shows up on the same projects as Ron, and he sounds great as always.
Greg Artry’s is a name I hadn’t heard before. But now that I have, I hope to hear much more of him. This guy’s got groove and chops that go on for days. I’m going to stop here before I start gushing more than I already have.
As for the song list, the best ones here, meaning the ones that clearly stand out from the pack, are the ones that don’t swing in predictable ways. “The Truth Seeker,” “Our Man Barack” and especially “Plicky” are quite evocative of what made CTI’s best music sparkle. It grooves, and it just jumps out of the speakers with a ton of energy. The songs that swing in more conventional ways are still anything but. “Monkish” is exactly that, and “Yes We Can” sounds every bit like a Jazz Messengers song, which is surely no bad thing.
What makes Transient Journey such an impressive album, besides the caliber of the talent and the strength of the writing, is the sheer consistency of the disc. This is the kind of disc that rewards multiple listens. Not in the same way that an Anthony Braxton disc reveals plenty of “a-ha!” moments, but in the way that those old CTI discs just sound perfect, from first track to last on a bright and sunny day.
If that’s the only feat you pull off on your disc, then you’ve pulled off a nearly Herculean feat indeed. Here’s to hoping that Mr. Whitted gets another disc out, and soon.
—Paul Abella
By: Paul Abella
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