Dave Adewumi: The Flame Beneath The Silence

GIANT STEP ARTS (RELEASED MARCH 27, 2026

American humorous Will Rogers once said, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” Trumpeter Dave Adewumi took that message to heart when releasing his debut recording, The Flame Beneath the Silence.” Although Adewumi has performed and/or recorded with the likes of Mary Halvorson, Dave Douglas and Jason Moran, this release proves why Halvorson calls him one of the standout voices of his generation. Supported by Joel Ross on vibes, Linda May Han Oh on bass and Marcus Gilmore on drums, Adewumi’s expressive and expansive trumpet style, which combines slurs, sweeps, runs and blasts, is in full force on the free-flowing title track. He dances plaintively over Ross’ rhythmic vamp, Oh’s melodic bass lines and Gilmore’s shifting rhythms on “Is.” Adewumi shows his more airy and hopeful side on “Abandon,” a chamber-like piece that is underscored by Ross’ shimmeing vibes and Oh’s resonant arco bass. The powerful post-bop groove of “Infinite Loop” is a perfect vehicle for Adewumi’s explosive side as well as the rhythmic intensity of Ross, Oh and Gilmore. The folksy mood of “The Vine” ends with a well-arranged vibes/trumpet/bass trio section. Adewumi stitches a cohesive solo of cries, shouts, long tones and cascading notes over the hypnotic and shifting rhythms of “If I Need to Do This Again I’m Going To Throw a Fit.” Closing out the album is a beautifully written ballad, “The Light You Left Behind,” which is destined to become a standard for horn players thanks to Adewumi’s lyrical performance. There are several brief interludes between some of the longer tunes allowing Gilmore, Ross, Oh and Adewumi to make strong succinct statements. In addition to demonstrating his trumpet virtuosity, which is built on some of his heroes such as Louis Armstrong, Donald Byrd, Don Cherry and Dave Douglas,The Flame Beneath the Silence demonstrates Adewumi’s varied skills as a composer. Dave Adewumi makes a strong first impression with The Flame Beneath the Silence. Fans of jazz trumpet and modern jazz will certainly be impressed!

BOTTOM LINE: Trumpeter Dave Adewumi stands tall and proud on the cover of his debut recording, The Flame Beneath The Silence, and he should be! The Flame Beneath The Silence proves Adewumi’s strengths as a player, composer and bandleader. Stepping out from the shadows of his work with Dave Douglas, Mary Halvorson and others, Adewumi is well on his way to being, as the cover implies, a standout!