DAYNA STEPHENS

HOPIUM

Contagious Music

Dayna Stephens, tenor & alto saxophones/composer; Aaron parks, piano; Ben Street, bass; Greg Hutchinson, drums; Charles Altura, guitar.

The title of this latest release for Dayna Stephens is provocative.  Stephens combines the words hope and opium to capture the paradox of the word ‘hope.’  His album, “Hopium” celebrates the four-letter word (hope) to provoke a dual identity of dangling a driving force before our eyes that inspires us to forge ahead, but at the same time, can blind us to reality, like opium.

Stephens has written all the compositions on this release, starting with “Drive North to Find the Oranges Out West,” another duel meaning wrapped in the title of his opening original tune.  It begins with Stephens playing a saxophone solo before his masterful quintet joins the production.

Stephens plays tenor, alto, soprano and baritone saxophone, as well as double bass and Nyle Steiner’s EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument).  On this opening tune, Aaron Parks is given ample time to explore the 88-keys during a masterful piano solo. Beneath the creative piano journey, Greg Hutchinson is powerful on drums. His cymbals crash, while drumsticks roll around the skins to emphasize and color this music. All the while, Hutchinson holds the tempo steady with capable hands.

Track #2 titled “Jump Start” picks up the pace.  Stephens has endeavored (as a composer) to reflect on the human emotions we experience, caught up in a web of hope and sobering reality. This music is meant to reflect the emotional authenticity between optimism and disillusionment.  Finding balance between the two can be challenging.

His composition “Trust” is a pretty ballad that slows the pace and becomes quite introspective, with Dayna Stephens’ horn taking center stage, beautifully blowing his story into the universe.  Ben Street is given time to shine on his double bass. The title tune is aggressive and shuffles self-assuredly into my listening room.  One of my favorite tunes was Track #6, “Hard Boiled Wonderland” that has a taste of Straight-ahead woven into the arrangement.

Formerly, Stephens recorded with a quartet. On this musical adventure he has added Charles Altura on guitar during the ensemble’s final tune, growing his group to a quintet. The guitar of Altura makes a fresh statement and changes the group’s complexion in a lovely way.

This album features a string of seven original Dayna Stephens compositions that reflect upon life’s uncertainties and the hope that sustains us in our most challenging hours. This music becomes available to the public on Feb 7, 2025.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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