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Much like Charlie Haden, one of his musical influences, Jake Noble’s bass playing is lyrical, strong and inventive. He demonstrates his command of the instrument as well as his composing and band leading skills on Letting Go of a Dream. Noble’s other sources of inspiration for this recording are pianist Bill Evans and saxophonist Kenny Garrett. So, it is no surprise that he enlisted pianist Seth Collins and saxophonist Autumn Dominguez for the session. Collins and Noble take a cue from Bill Evans and Eddie Gomez on their duo performance on the jazz waltz “Alice’s Point of View.”  Dominguez channels the tart and fiery sound of Kenny Garrett on  the remaining six originals which also feature drummer Tanner Guss. Guitarist Mike Clement adds his bluesy playing to the free sounding “Acceptance of the Journey” and the contemporary sounding “Theme for a New Age.” As a unit, the quartet hits their stride on “On the Up and Up,” an up tempo stroller with nice solos from all. Those of you from New Orleans may recognize Noble’s name. He is a band leader and much in-demand sideman on that city’s jazz scene. I would have to assume that the other players on this session are musical friends from that region as well. The band is competent at interpreting Noble’s music, but the real star of the show is the full sound and strong solos of Noble.

BOTTOM LINE:  The cover of Letting Go of a Dream is a bit ominous, but the music of bassist Jake Noble and his band welcomes you into a world of contemporary jazz. Although the music is inspired by Noble’s musical heroes — Bill Evans, Charlie Haden and Kenny Garrett as well as Noble’s own journey as a musician — the overall performance lacks the “spark” that sets those musicians apart. Hopefully, the journey will continue for Noble.