Tom Harrell - Labyrinth (RCA, 1996)

Tom Harrell, trumpet, piano
Don Braden, tenor sax

Joe Lovano, tenor sax

Gary Smulyan, baritone sax
Rob Botti, oboe
Kenny Werner, piano

Steve Turre, trombone
Leon Parker, percussion
Larry Grenadier, bass
Billy Hart, drums

Recorded January 1996

Clinton Studio A, NYC

Engineer: Joe Ferla

Eight days following Tom Harrell's 20th birthday in 1976, he recorded his first album as a leader - Aurora (Adamo, 1976). Re-released in 1987 as Total! on the equally obscure Pinnacle Records label, it remains a curiosity, significant only because it launched a stream of 86 albums that continues 50 years later. While longevity is not always a guarantee of excellence, in Harrell's case it is. 

With 18 Harrell albums released in the 1990s, it might seem difficult to choose a favorite. But Labyrinth is an easy choice for three reasons.

First, Labyrinth showcases both Harrell's composing and arranging skills. The large ensemble on Labyrinth gives Harrell plenty of options. Of the A-list players that comprise the band, only the New York Philharmonic's oboist Rob Botti is not a top jazzman of the era. Nonetheless, his feature on "Majesty" is the album's highlight. 

Second, none of the 10 tracks on the album seem experimental or sketchy. All charts are fully realized, not simply heads for soloists to blow on. Indeed, solos on Labyrinth are typically short and integral to the compositions, much as Duke Ellington, Gil Evans and Maria Schneider might have arranged them. Because the solos are not extended, every one of them is outstanding. And without the assignment to comp behind lengthy solos, the rhythm section remains tightly focused. 

Third, the quintet numbers give Labyrinth balance and help to ensure that the album is not dismissible as a brainy exercise in arranging. Featuring Harrell, Don Braden, Kenny Werner, Billy Hart, and Larry Grenadier, the quintet numbers are mostly straight ahead, but with twists and surprises like most Harrell charts. 

The only forgivable indulgence on Labyrinth is Harrell's overdubbed piano and flugelhorn on the standard "Darn That Dream." I am not typically fond of overdubbing, but in this instance it works. As described in the Los Angeles Times by the late Don Heckman:

...the most intriguing track is a simple, basic performance of the only non-Harrell piece, “Darn That Dream,” in which he plays with the sole backing (via multi-tracking) of his own piano accompaniment. With nothing more than block chords as a foundation, Harrell takes the song through a rich gamut of melodic permutations without ever losing contact with its essence as a ballad. (Los Angeles Times: May 12, 1996)

I can't sensibly disagree with one of the greatest jazz critics of all time.

To read my posts for Harrell's Moon Alley and Short Stories, go to:

Post: Edit: Moon Alley

Post: Edit: Short Stories