| Jazz |
Michael Dease’s “City Life”: A Trombonist Who Tells Stories in Brass
There are two trombonists in the world I hold in the highest regard. One hails from Europe, the unmistakable figure with the red trombone, Nils Landgren. The other is American, and his name is Michael Dease. While their styles are worlds apart, shaped by different cultural soil, both possess something rare and essential: the ability to transcend their instrument and become, in essence, actors on the musical stage.
This is not a casual comparison. Trombone players are often relegated to the background of jazz ensembles, offering harmonic support or occasional flourishes. But Landgren and Dease step into the spotlight not merely as soloists, but as storytellers, embodying each phrase, each note, as if it were a line of dialogue in a gripping screenplay.
Dease’s latest project, City Life, is his third full-length album dedicated to the compositions of American composer Gregg Hill. At a time when one might fear a certain fatigue setting in, too many tributes, too much repetition, Dease reinvigorates the material with magnetic force. It is, in many ways, a masterclass in musical interpretation. From the opening notes of the first disc, he draws us in, unsettles our expectations, and leads us on a journey that spans two full albums—all while keeping the trombone at center stage.
That, in itself, is no small feat. To maintain a listener’s engagement across two discs focused around a single brass instrument requires not just technical brilliance, but imagination, charisma, and an almost theatrical sensibility. Dease, it turns out, has all three.
The first disc of City Life features a tight trio: the ever-inventive bassist Linda May Han Oh and the formidable Jeff “Tain” Watts on drums. Together, they conjure the gritty, unvarnished energy of urban life. It’s a raw, almost cinematic session, something between a jam and a declaration. Dease’s command of time and space allows for bold improvisations, but also for quiet, intentional moments that pulse with restrained urgency.
On the second disc, the ensemble expands. Pianist Geoffrey Keezer and saxophonist Nicole Glover join the lineup, enriching the sound with layers of harmonic and melodic nuance. If the first half is the city’s edge, its rush, its noise, the second half feels more introspective, perhaps representing the inner contradictions of urban existence. Together, the two discs form a kind of diptych: contrasting visions of the same landscape, painted with different brushes but bound by a shared perspective.
To fully appreciate City Life, one must approach it as one would a film in two acts. There’s no sharp division between the two; rather, the transition is organic, each part complementing the other. At its core, the album is a reflection of Dease’s dual artistic nature, part poet, part protester. He coaxes from his trombone everything from whispered meditations to guttural cries, as if rallying some invisible army of idealists and outlaws. It is a sound that both laments and resists, elegant and defiant in equal measure.
As an arranger, Dease is just as meticulous. Every instrument, every voice is placed with architectural precision. Nothing feels arbitrary. The arrangements avoid the temptation of simplification, especially in his own trombone parts, which challenge both the listener and the performer to engage with the deeper emotional fabric of the music.
And then there is his legacy. That Dease has worked with luminaries such as Christian McBride, Roy Hargrove, Nicholas Payton, Charles Tolliver, Rufus Reid, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band speaks volumes. These are not casual associations, they are signs of respect from some of the most discerning artists in the field, drawn to Dease’s integrity, his versatility, and his unmistakable voice.
One cannot help but wonder what Gregg Hill himself might say about this project. Surely, a composer does not entrust his work to just anyone. One imagines Hill has strong feelings—perhaps even stories to share, about this collaboration. It would be fascinating to hear them.
For our part, City Life is yet another beautiful surprise. It’s not just the quality of the playing, or the intelligence of the arrangements, it’s the sense that we are witnessing something enduring. For younger generations of musicians, this is a recording to study, to absorb, to aspire to. Dease reminds us that musical excellence is not simply a matter of reading notes on a page. It is about vision. It is about presence. And above all, it is about the ability to interpret, to speak through sound, and to move an audience without saying a word.
Thierry De Clemensat
Member at Jazz Journalists Association
USA correspondent for Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief – Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, May 19th 2025
Follow PARIS-MOVE on X
::::::::::::::::::::::::
Musicians :
Michael Dease – trombone
Linda May Han Oh – bass
Jeff “Tain” Watts – drums
Nicole Glover – tenor saxophone (disc 2)
Geoffrey Keezer – piano (disc 2)
Jared Beckstead-Craan – bass (disc 2)
Brooklyn Dease – voice (disc 1)
Track Listing:
DISC ONE – TRIO
1 Willow Walks In 5:03
2 City Life 6:29
3 Danger Zone 5:05
4 Movie Theme 4:53
5 Sweet Georgia Gillespie 4:15
6 Double Bill 5:14
7 Claxilever 4:26
8 Catalyst 7:16
9 Say What!? 4:41
10 Movie Theme (Reprise) 6:11
Compositions by Gregg Hill, except:
(5) J.J. Johnson; (9) Sharel Cassity
DISC TWO – QUINTET
1 Tea Time 6:08
2 The Classic II 7:11
3 Grave Concerns 6:31
4 Mr. Hurt 6:59
5 Rainy Afternoon 5:43
6 Enigma 6:16
7 Skittles 6:03
8 Blues for Herb 4:50
9 Lafayette Square 4:56