Dwayne Clemons Center of Gravity: Live at Smalls

CELLAR MUSIC (RELEASED OCTOBER 18, 2024)

A live recording is often a work in progress, especially when the ensemble is relatively new to one another and they have yet to make a studio recording. Such is the case with the latest release from trumpeter Dwayne Clemons— Center of Gravity: Live at Smalls. This session continues the informal vibe of Clemons’ 2014 recording which was also recorded at Smalls. Although the nicely arranged Dameron-esque horn ensemble openings to Barry Harris’ “Burgundy,” “Center of Gravity”(written by alto player Amanda Sedgwick), “Hey George,” (the band’s take on “Sweet Georgia Brown”) and Monk’s “Hornin’ In” need very little work, the solos from Clemons, Sedgwick, tenor player Aaron Johnson and pianist JinJoo Yoo could benefit from some refinement. Bassist Paul Gill and drummer Taro Okamoto do a more than competent job of keeping the beat but lack that element surprise to energize the solos. The music makes a dramatic shift from bebop to mainstream following a Clemons trumpet feature on “I Cover the Waterfront.” The old and rarely performed standards “Smoke Rings” and “Sweet Emmaline, My Gal” sound more like a small group session from the 1940s, and the vocals on “When I Grow Too Old to Dream,” may be fun, but seem out of place. As I mentioned earlier Center of Gravity: Live at Smalls is a work in progress and shows promise. After two dates recorded live at Smalls, Cellar Jazz should give Clemons’ Center of Gravity an opportunity to refine, edit and come together to show what they are capable of doing in the studio.

BOTTOM LINE: The audience at Smalls probably loved this session from trumpeter Dwayne Clemons’ Center of Gravity. Guess, you had to be there because Dwayne Clemons’ Center of Gravity: Live at Smalls has too many issues for me such as the quality of the solos and the programming of the tunes. One positive, however, is the well-crafted and played arrangements that start many of the tunes. They deserve a studio session to truly show what they may be capable of doing.