A former 30-plus year member of the legendary Sun-Ra Arkestra, trumpeter, composer and bandleader Fred Adams’ critically acclaimed Philadelphia Heritage Art Ensemble is a vibrant six-piece group dedicated in part to celebrating the City of Brotherly Love’s vast jazz heritage.
Their latest work, Crossing the Bridge 2, fulfills that mission via a breezy swing through Lee Morgan’s “Soft Touch” (featuring spirited, inventive solos by Adams and pianist Emilio Teubal) and high octane, freewheeling improvisation-infused jams through Hank Mobley’s “Three Way Split” and “Work Out.” The collection’s deepest soul-transformative energies come from Adams originals inspired by the expressive spirit of dance (connected to his daughter Desta), including the gently exotic “Bossa For Desta” and the lyrical “Dance of Six Senses,” created (as per the liner notes) as a “festive spiritual dance of conscious intuition.”
The spiritual theme underlying all the Philly-driven ensemble cool extends to Adams’ hauntingly passionate closer, “The Trumpet Song,” which envisions the trumpet and its emotional resonance as a channel of divine expression.