Rodney Jordan

Memphis Blue

 Baxter Music Enterprises

Bassist Rodney Jordan pays tribute to his hometown by anchoring and leading a quartet in bluesy jazz oriented toward Memphis. Jordan, now based in Tallahassee, FL, assembled fellow Memphian trumpeter Melvin Jones, as well as a group of Southern musicians. They are Atlanta pianist Louis Heriveaux, Charleston-based saxophonist Mark Sterbank, and a name that’s appeared on these pages before, as well as the label itself, Charlestonian drummer Quentin E. Baxter. In other words, they comprise the classic jazz quintet configuration. The album features four originals by Jordan, one from Jones, and standards by Gigi Gryce, Johnny Mercer, and Mulgrew Miller for Memphis Blue.

Jordan is currently Professor of Jazz Bass and Coordinator of Jazz and Commercial Music at Florida State University. He is also a 15-year member of pianist Marcus Roberts trio along with drummer Jason Marsalis. He also works with vocalist Rene Marie and recorded his debut as a leader in 2017 with Playing Jazz. This is just his second as a leader.

The album kicks off with Jones’ “The Storm Will Pass,” a smoothly flowing, uplifting tune written during the pandemic. Jones establishes himself as a formidable trumpet player from the get-go. This tune has strong ensemble parts and simmering solos from Jones, Sterbank, and Heriveaux with in-the-pocket kit work from Baxter and sets the bluesy tones for what follows. Gryce’s standard “Minority” will sound eminently familiar to those who have been listening to jazz for decades. The quintet easily navigates the swift bebop changes, infusing subtle doses of soul along the way. Jordan’s walking bass line together with Baxter’s traps keeps it glued while each also takes a solo.

Jordan’s first original is “Escapatoria,” another flowing piece with Baxter prominent on the toms as the horns and piano weave through a fairly simple chord structure. Jordan envisioned those sunny days at the beach when composing this one and conveys that joy in his solo. “Hargrove” is a rather obvious tribute to the late trumpet great. Jordan injects some commercial elements into the piece, but overall it reads as a nice soul-jazz excursion, reminiscent of the late ‘50s or early ‘60s. He nods to Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman” in the sendoff.

The title track is not surprisingly the deepest blues of them all as Jordan takes the quintet through a smoldering slow blues, the kind we don’t hear too often in jazz these days but was a staple of those soul-jazz years with the likes of Jimmy Smith, Stanley Turrentine, and so many more. Jordan states his case in the opening intro, and it’s clear these cats get that deep, chilling feel, especially Jones with a scintillating turn. The ensemble then turns to one of the most covered jazz standards of all, “Autumn Leaves,” but takes it in a different direction inspired by Wayne Shorter’s 21st-century ‘without a net” quartet. So, aside from the piano intro and a cue for the ending, the rest is totally improvised through the lines of Sterbank, Heriveaux, Jones (on muted trumpet), and the rhythm tandem, all playing with utmost restraint.

Heriveaux suggested “Small Portion” by Mulgrew Miller. The pianist basks in the two-handed swing of the piece as Jones soars and Sterbank takes a lyrical turn. Jordan’s closer, “The Art of Blakey,” is a piece that he composed while a college. This is a nod to Blakey’s larger ensemble early ‘60s Messengers as Jones doubles on trumpet and flugelhorn and Sterbank plays both alto and tenor, producing a full septet sound. The hard bop fits here as an acknowledgment to  Blakey’s penchant for the Memphis pianists Mulgrew Miller, Donald Brown, and James Williams, each of whom held down the piano chair for some version of The Messengers.

Jordan and his bandmates deliver straight-ahead jazz—a mix of hard bop and soul jazz where, other than the terrific title track, the shades of blue are more subtle than obvious. Nonetheless, this is a highly spirited session.

– Jim Hynes

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