| Jazz |
Here is a pianist and composer from Atlanta who will surely captivate you with his album Tomorrowsville, modern, highly melodic, and inventive, featuring excellent musicians such as Jimmy Haslip on bass, Sam Skelton (woodwinds), John David (drums), Emrah Kotan (percussions), Eric Alexander (trombone), Gordon Vernick (trumpet), Justin Powell (trumpet), Roberta Setzu (vocals), along with a special appearance by Grammy Award-winning guitarist Mike Stern. Yes, you read that right: the friendly and excellent guitarist Mike Stern, whom I recently discussed in his latest album review, here – also appears on this album, perfectly complementing the compositions of Randy Hoexter, whose keyboard skills you may have appreciated alongside artists like Jimmy Herring, Bill Hart, and Shane Theriot (Neville Brothers), drummers Rod Morgenstein (Dixie Dregs), Sonny Emory (Earth, Wind and Fire, Bruce Hornsby), and Jeff Sipe, bassists Chuck Rainey (Steely Dan) and Adam Nitti, saxophonist George Howard, gospel group “NewSong,” the Atlanta Symphony Pops, Georgia Symphony Jazz, and many others. And if these references aren’t enough, let’s add that Randy has written and produced music for Bank of America, Yamaha Corporation, Univision, Nippon Television (Japan), Timberland, 615 Music, Arby’s, Kohler, Novo/Nordisk, SunSports (Fox Sports Florida), and many others, and produces records for local and regional artists.
Here’s the setting: this pianist has already produced two albums, Radiant and Fromage, which you can find on his website, the link to which will be provided at the end of this review. What can you expect from this album? Quite simply, a colorful journey into Tomorrowsville, featuring singer Roberta Setzu, who appears on track 4 with one of the most delightful performances. Randy had already received praise from our colleagues at All About Jazz for his previous album Fromage, under the pen of Dan Bilawsky, who wrote, “Hoexter’s arrangements are highly polished works of art. Clarity is of the utmost importance here, as evident in Hoexter’s playing and the tight, clean corners that can be found at every turn.” (read it here), and this observation holds true for the new album as well, where you quickly find yourself overwhelmed by all the artist’s offerings, which draws you back again and again with pleasure, as one can easily get lost in its melodic intricacies.
Among all the albums we are receiving at the moment, the most enjoyable aspect is that each one has a strong personality. Here, the composer presents himself as a storyteller, and you can easily imagine that each track reflects his travels, encounters, and life as an artist. This is an album that aims to be uplifting and positive, bringing joy to everyone. It’s also nice to see the attention to detail in each composition, with everything delivered intelligently and delicately. The strength is reserved for the action and the journey that the author takes us on.
A beautiful album, which also lands on our “Essentials” list, and something tells me it’s far from the last great release of 2024.
Thierry De Clemensat
USA correspondent – Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, October 10th 2024
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