PAPATAMUS REDUX

OUTSIDE IN MUSIC 2515 (RELEASED MAY 30, 2025)

With the release of Shades of Sound, a new word needs to be added to the jazz lexicon — Gilophile. There is no better word to describe multi-Grammy award winning arranger Ryan Truesdell who is on a mission to unearth lost Gil Evans’ arrangements as well as recast Evans’ classic recordings. Shades of Sound, recorded live at the Jazz Standard in 2014, is Truesdell’s third release that is rich in Evans’ signature sound — the sophisticated brass colorations, the atmospheric compositions, the interplay between the ensemble and soloists and the unique way in which Evans provided soloists with lots of room to roam. Shades of Sound opens with “Spoonful,” from Evans’ 1964 Verve recording The Individualism of Gil Evans. Pianist Frank Kimbrough sets the mood for this masterpiece which features solos from trumpeter Mat Jordell, tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin and alto saxophonist Dave Pietro. Trombonist Ryan Keberle delivers the melancholy “The Ballad of the Sad Young Men” over the lush horns of the ensemble and Kimbrough’s sensitive accompaniment. The other two familiar Evans’ tunes on Shades of Sound include: “Barbara Song,” with an expressive extended solo from McCaslin;  and the up-tempo swinger “Buster’s Last Stand,” from Evans’ days with the Claude Thornhill Band. Vocalist Wendy Giles joins the band for two other tunes dating back to the late 1940s — the swinging “I Had Someone Else Before I Met You” and the danceable ballad “It’s the Sentimental Thing To Do.”  Giles also introduces us to “Laughing at Life,” a tune written in 1957 that has never been recorded. “Neetie’s Blues,” another previously unknown Evans tune, features Marcus Rojas’ tuba outlining the changes on which tenor saxophonist Tom Christensen, Kimbrough and drummer Lewis Nash demonstrate their blues’ chops. Although he doesn’t have a solo spotlight on Shades of Sound, kudos to guitarist Jame Chirillo for adding just the perfect touch of the Evans sound to the proceedings. In addition to remembering Gil Evans, Shades of Sound is a wonderful tribute to Frank Kimbrough who passed away in 2020. Only a true Gilophile can capture the beauty, swing, adventure and sophistication that Gil Evans brought to jazz, and that’s just what Truesdell and his Gil Evans Project do on Shades of Sound.

BOTTOM:  Between the release of Centennial in 2012 and Lines of Color in 2015, Ryan Truedell and the Gil Evans project recorded a live set at the Jazz Showcase in 2014. According to Truesdell, “live recordings give the listener a sense of the magic that happens when the notes are lifted off the page by amazing musicians.” Eleven years later you can experience that magic and the amazing musicians on this set of familiar and unfamiliar tunes associated with Gil Evans.