Marcus Printup

The New Boogaloo

Nagel Heyer 2019

Marcus Printup, trumpet; Walter Blanding, tenor sax; Wycliffe Gordon, trombone; George Colligan, piano (on 02, 06, 07, and 09); Eric Lewis, piano (on 01, 03, 04, 05, and 08); Vicente Archer, bass; Donald Edwards, drums.

An urgent dynamic fires this ensemble from the outset - "The Bullet Train" sparks some raw energy and busy drumming to kick us off. "Sardinian Princess" introduces a more reflective mood with a well worked and controlled trumpet solo from Marcus Printup; followed by the soulful sax playing of Walter Blanding and some melodic questioning from George Colligan on piano - enjoyable number this one. There is some intriguing plunger mute work from the trombone of Wycliffe Gordon and an excellent minimalist piano from Eric Lewis in "The Weeping Princess." Marcus says of The New Boogaloo, "I wanted to write something funky and danceable." That's exactly what we get - sharp, driving, good rhythm section going hard, crisp solo work; Eric Lewis crackles on piano and Wycliffe Gordon zips on trombone. Bits to look out for from the rest is the original ending to "Soul Waltz," the interesting thickened out opening to Duke's "Sentimental Mood" and the exploring of grooves in "The Inception;" Marcus in search of his own personal development. We end up-beat with "Speak Low;" sharp sounds from Marcus, quicksilver from George Colligan on piano - and a welcome burst from the drums of Donald Edwards makes a pleasing ending to this CD. These are quality musicians.

by Ferdinand Maylin

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