Terry Marshall, Arrival

by Pistano Seeber

Arrival, the latest album by pianist and composer Terry Marshall presents an engaging and uplifting collection of five originals and six arrangements of some noteworthy standards. With an inviting mix of classic and refreshingly burst of new the results yielded an array of tracks that complement each other superbly.

The proceedings open with “Teresa,” a smoothly crafted jazz tune that is sure to delight.  The piano and bass duo on “April in Paris” pays homage to a classic tune with proper respect. Now to the highlight – sprinkled among the fantastic recording are three vocalists and they are extraordinary, Iva Ambush, Kendra Johnson, DeCastro Brown are some beautiful vocal arrangements. They include “Upside Down, which features Iva at the helm exuding her soulful yet light delivery, while “This Bitter Earth, features the gospel inspired vocalist Kendra Johnson, reminiscent of an ala Gladys Knight quality in her voice, Johnson delivers this classic with confidence and believability. “Begin Cool” again features vocalist Iva Ambush while “Moodies Mood for Love,” gives us the opportuterry-marshall-web-cdnity to hear DeCastro Brown, who reminded me of Kevin Mahogany, yet in a higher register.

Overall, Arrival is a nice mix of styles and offers a mix of jazz and contemporary flavors to satisfy any mood. It was wonderful to be introduced to 3 emerging vocalists, who I hope release individually their own offerings.

Track Listings:  Teresa; Upside Down; This Bitter Earth; Being Cool; Nostalgia; Questions And Answers: Moodies Mood For Love; Speak To My Heart; Arrival; April in Paris; Blues.

Personnel: Terry Marshall (piano); Alejandro Lucini, Harold Summey; Tracey Cutler, Warren Atiba Taylor (saxophone), Muneer Nasser (trumpet), Kevin Williams, Ben Young, D. L. Watson (guitar); Iva Ambush, Kendra Johnson, DeCastro Brown (vocals); Leonardo Lucini, Dave Marsh, Donnie West (bass).

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