Vibes player Warren Wolf has made a yes, vibrant record with Brad Mehldau on piano, bassist Christian McBride, drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts, and guitarist John Scofield guesting on two tracks. The record – Wolf’s third for the Mack Avenue label - is mostly about exercising a communal blithe spirit, there is hardly any blues hanging about.
On display are lithe, agile and expansive skills from Wolf and his august pals, as they take his six compositions herein and let them soar and dip at ease. Wolf also plays marimba and Fender Rhodes and the finished product shimmers with all the subdued shades of colour that the vibraphone is about.
The record opens with the accessible funk of Soul Sister, featuring John Scofield on guitar, but the ensemble appear to sneak out their true intent on the second offering, Four Stars From Heaven, the longest track at over 11 minutes in duration. It pulses and bubbles along with airy charm, scaling the clouds, reaching higher and higher. “I’m a father of four kids so I wrote this song as my gift from the creator above,” Wolf explains.
Warren Wolf: Vibes-player extraordinaire
The track is followed by the more small-scale, almost jauntily traditional, King of Two Fives, on which McBride and Wolf duet with tactile intimacy. Similarly, the mildly wistful New Beginning features strong interplay from Wolf and Meldhau.
Among the five covers on the 11-track album, there is a charming version of Bobby Hutchinson’s mid-tempo Montaro. The track hangs itself with delicate firmness from one figure, a series of gently circling notes. Stevie Wonder’s Knocks Me Off Of My Feet is played kind of straight, before some deconstruction once the melody has been well established. Cell Phone, another Wolf composition, is busy and urban-edgy.
McBride assembled the band and produced the album and has been mentor to Wolf, who is something of a rising star on the scene. (The vibes player has been a member of McBride’s Inside Straight quintet since 2007, while both artists record for the Mack Avenue label.) The record concludes with two evergreens, a take on Hoagy Carmichael’s Stardust and Chopin’s Minute Waltz (yea, you know it.) Go treat yourself.
Paddy Kehoe
