Ralph Alessi: A Sun That Never Sets album review – A disciplined quintet
Inventive writing and crafty musicianship make this sometimes-mellifluous album a rewarding listen
Brass mastery runs in the Alessi family, as does the name Joseph. Ralph Alessi’s Sicilian grandfather and father both occupied the principal trumpeter role in the New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Both were also called Joseph. Having an older brother, Ralph arrived too late to claim their forename but he does share their trumpet skills which he sets against (as well as complementing) brother Joseph’s trombone playing on this adventurous, sometimes abstract but often mellifluous album.
The intricate, fanfare-like opening title track might be seen as celebrating those family skills. There’s discipline involved but the quintet, with pianist Matt Mitchell, double bassist John Hébert and Ches Smith on drums and vibraphone, also thrives on freedom, the rhythm section getting especially physical as Alessi’s trumpet showcases his muscular invention. Alessi’s writing is varied: the wildness of ‘A Sun That Never Sets’ is followed by the gently unfolding ‘Nothing Is Dead’, where Mitchell’s piano splashes droplets of colour over Smith’s soulfully chiming vibes. Then follows the rather misnamed ‘Relaxed Misery’: too urgent to convey relaxation with its insistent ostinato, this is also playful, with trumpet and trombone in mischievous cahoots before the leader fires off an energetic solo propelled by Hébert’s itchy-fingered bass playing.
Other highlights include the elegiac ‘Sweet Spot’ and the simply melodic ‘Ether’, with trumpet and trombone showing sibling closeness before Mitchell picks up their phrasing and sprints off with startling creativity. Also enjoyable is ‘Of Trees (Variations On A Theme By TB)’ where muted trumpet and almost tuba-like trombone strike up an animated conversation with Mitchell’s deft piano. If, on the whole, this album requires repeated concentrated listening to get the full picture, it also suggests that this quintet would be well worth seeking out in concert.
Ralph Alessi: A Sun That Never Sets is released by ECM on Friday 3 July.