Rodney Jones
was only 22 when, in 1978, he recorded
Articulation
, his first album as a leader. At the time, the guitarist was in
Dizzy Gillespie
's employ, and he was capable of playing both
fusion
and straight-ahead
jazz
.
Jones
favors acoustic-oriented
post-bop
on this self-produced effort, which
Timeless
reissued on CD in 1991. Although it falls short of exceptional,
is definitely solid. The tunes (all of which are by either
or bassist
Bruce Johnson
) are worthwhile, and no one would accuse any of the musicians of not having chops (even if some of them still had some growing and developing to do in the late '70s). The participants range from alto sax great
Arthur Blythe
to up-and-coming players such as tenor saxophonist
Bob Mintzer
, acoustic pianist
Kenny Kirkland
, and trumpeter
Wallace Roney
. In 1978,
Mintzer
,
Kirkland
, and the
Miles Davis
-minded
Roney
had yet to become major names in the
world; but in the 1980s and 1990s, all of them were quite visible.
Blythe
's passionate solos are a definite asset -- in 1978, he was the session's best-known player. Nonetheless,
is the man in the driver's seat, and one hears his potential on tracks that range from the hard-swinging
"Blues for Wes"
(which acknowledges fellow guitarist
Wes Montgomery
) and the driving
"1978"
to the mysterious
"Nereda."
The latter employs wordless background vocals by singer
Bemshi Jones
, who remains in the background.
is very much an instrumental album, and it paints a likable picture of
at 22. ~ Alex Henderson