Rarely has a debut solo album by a veteran musician featured so many personal autobiographical elements than Congo Lament, trombonist Isrea Butler’s richly soulful, mostly fast swinging, high spirited jam that rolls more like a dual album with lead melodies artfully shared and traded off with Count Basie Orchestra bandmate, tenor saxophonist Doug Lawrence. Immersing in the exuberant,
snazzy energy, playful rapport and fiery soloing of these two on gems like the jaunty, deeply percussive title track and snappy, fast swirling “B.G’s Groove” is like opening a window to a day where the two play hooky from Basie and run free, exploring classics by Butler’s ‘bone heroes, J.J. Johnson and Bennie Green. Quite intriguingly, with the exception of the happy go lucky “Pennies From Heaven” (influenced by the version on Bennie Green Swings the Blues), Butler taps into his passion for Green via hip and spritely re-imaginings of a whopping six tunes from saxophonist Ike Quebec’s Easy Living, which was recorded in 1962 (a year before Quebec’s passing) but not released on Blue Note until 1987.
Highlights of those include the smoky, meditative “Easy Living,” a lovely ballad which offers both a breather between all the swinging and an opportunity for Butler and Lawrence to showcase richer emotions; the peppy, punchy and whimsical “I.Q. Shuffle” and “Que’s Pills”; and perhaps most engaging of all, the slow simmering seduction of Ma Rainey’s gutbucket-grooved classic “See See Rider” (the opening track on the Quebec album). Butler shares another wonderful aspect of his career – serving as Director of UNLV’s School of Music - by inviting the all-Nevada trio of UNLV Director of Jazz Studies Dave Loeb (piano), Steve Flora (bass) and Bob Chmel (drums) to lend their brilliant, essential and adventurous support.
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