Notes and tones: Drummer's debut another of jazz's pleasant surprises

Jazz just keeps coming at you. Its beauty is relentless; it piques your sonic curiosity in ongoing fashion. There are always surprises — most of them ever-so-pleasant.

And when jazz operates at full speed — which doesn’t necessarily mean relentless up-tempo, frantic fashion — there is still the element of surprise involved. The point is, with jazz there should always be a healthy supply of asking yourself “What lies around the next corner?”

That’s why I tend to appreciate those gifted folks who, despite what internal fears or anxiety they might have, simply deliver their musicality with aplomb.

This conditional approach is particularly present when you allow yourself to just “check someone out,” an artist you have never heard of previously, who you don’t know anything about. With that in mind, please meet drummer Brandon Sanders whose debut recording, “Compton’s Finest” (Savant), was released Friday.

In all fairness, I cheated a bit here. It wasn’t entirely the intrigue about Sanders that enticed me. He surely was a part of the reason. I honestly wanted to learn about Sanders and his drumming. However, there was an additional tug to take “Compton’s Finest” for an around-the-block spin.

At second glance, I saw the names of musicians Sanders surrounded himself with; let’s just say it was obvious he’s working with a decidedly talented supporting cast. So the personnel also did a good job pulling on me, saying, “You need to check this session out.”

Let’s start with Keith Brown, who seems to be rising rapidly among the ranks of “go-to” pianists. It’s understandable. His father is none other than Donald Brown, the sterling veteran pianist and composer of many well-recorded tunes. Beyond that, of late, the younger Brown has become part of Kenny Garrett’s working ensemble where he contributes measurably to the alto saxophonist’s sound, both on stage and in the studio.

Also at work here is Warren Wolf, the extremely talented vibraphonist and the present-day musician whose sound, replete with its ringing sustain, most closely channels the near-godlike presence of the legendary Bobby Hutcherson. Wolf has a sweet, sweet, well-timed and perfectly syncopated approach.

Bassist Eric Wheeler, like Wolf, operates out of the Washington D.C.-Baltimore area, which allows him to travel north to New York City with relative ease on a regular basis.

Tenor saxophonist Chris Lewis, like the bandleader, sits a bit under the radar — but likely not for long. He’s a Temple University graduate, where he studied with a trio of powerhouse musicians and educators: multi-instrumentalist/reed player Dick Oatts, saxophonist Tim Warfield Jr. and the trumpeter Terell Stafford, who runs the show at the Philadelphia campus. Guess what? It’s not surprising that Lewis, though hardly a veteran, already has a nice tone and a full, rich-bodied sound throughout “Compton’s Finest.”

The bandstand pieces now in place, we can settle in and enjoy this quintet’s work, which is enhanced by Jazzmeia Horn’s vocals on an airy reading — made ever more so by Wolf’s and Brown’s vibraphone and piano interplay — of Stevie Wonder’s “I Can’t Help It” and a somewhat quicker-paced, but still classic reading of Duke Ellington’s “In A Sentimental Mood.”

So what about this Sanders fellow?

Particularly impressive here are some of the selections. This is a straight-ahead, in-the-pocket session but what’s hip is the amount of territory Sanders and Co. covers. There’s a beautiful, spacious, patient reading of “Body & Soul” that highlights Lewis’ saxophone work before he hands off to Brown who, in turn, hands off to Wolf.

Included is pianist Kenny Barron’s unison-driven, quick-paced, bop-infused, tap-your-toes “Voyage.” Sanders keeps things moving along nicely; Brown’s solo is one of his best on “Compton’s Finest.”

The title track, a rolling, hard-swinging blues, offers an optimistic viewpoint. Composed by Sanders, it reflects his attitude about the oft-maligned part of Los Angeles. The drummer moved there with his mother as a youngster. Growing up there, he says in his liner notes that sheer mention of Compton plants seeds of fear and gives off other negative connotations.

Sanders argues that doesn’t paint the entire picture, that Compton offers lots more. Philosophically and psychologically, he wanted to offer an uplifting session stamped with where he spent his youth.

In an era when so many young musicians have released their debut by the time they are in their early 20s, it’s yet another fascinating piece of Sanders’ personal musical adventure that, while born in 1971, this marks his recorded debut as a leader. Hopefully, we don’t have to wait that long again.

Jon W. Poses is executive director of the “We Always Swing” Jazz Series. Reach him at jazznbsbl@socket.net.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Notes and tones: Drummer's debut another of jazz's pleasant surprises