MAURICIO MORALES

SEVEN DAYS

Independent Label

Mauricio Morales, bass/composer; Horace Bray, Guitar; Luca Mendoza, piano; Jongkuk “JK” Kim, drums; Edmar Colon, tenor & soprano saxophone; Ido Meshulam, trombone.

The music on Mauricio Morales’ latest album reflects one week of his life.  “Seven Days” is represented in the titles of each track, starting with “Monday: Wishful thinking.”  This is the bandleader’s fourth album, and he shares seven original compositions for sextet.  The first song features Morales taking an extended bass solo, elaborating on the theme.  This is followed by Edmar Colon soloing furiously on soprano saxophone.

This album developed as a challenge from Morales to himself. He challenged himself to write seven tunes in seven days. This occurred while he was stuck in his native Mexico due to a mysterious Visa renewal snafu. I’m sure composing took some of the edge off that stressful situation.

An inquisitive Morales picked up the electric bass at age thirteen and the double bass, six years after. He soon developed a passion for songwriting and creating his own music.  Morales admits that his beginning roots in music had nothing at all to do with jazz.   Later, he studied music at Berklee School of Music in Boston.  I hear a lot of classical roots in the Morales album.  I have also reviewed some of his other recordings and “Seven Days” is quite different from the earlier projects. On “Luna” he incorporated strings into his production and used powerhouse drummers. The mix on this album is different, and I was happy to hear Morales give more attention to his bass talents, bringing them forward like a bright red ribbon across the sky.

I find all the music that Morales composes quite melodic and peaceful.   On “The Glass Door,” from his “Luna” album, you get a sense of pensiveness and he pumps peace into his compositions.

On “Wednesday: The Wanderer” Luca Mendoza’s piano solo is fabulous and spurred forward by the busy and energized drums of Jongkuk “JK” Kim.  When Mauricio Morales steps into the spotlight on his double bass, his solo is emotional and heartfelt. On “Friday: A Ghostly Vision” his drummer, ‘JK’ Kim introduces us to the tune. Similar to the other Morales recordings, drum freedom is specific and appreciated.

This album adds another dimension to the Morales discography, producing more diversity and continuing his endless composer search for the best of himself.  The improvisation and his musicality leans towards fusion or modern jazz, but he’s always very melody conscious. Even in stressful or dramatic moments, Mauriceo Morales lets a sense of peace permeate his music.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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