Jeremy Pelt is one of those trumpet players of a younger generation that has already made a name for himself. Of course, to be able to do that, he had to gain some solid experience in different configurations, and working with the Mingus Big Band early in his career certainly gave him that.
Working in all small and big band configurations from then on just made sure that Pelt’s all-around compositional and playing skills reached a level at which he could come up with some brilliant releases, like his latest one – The Art of Intimacy Vol.2.
Coming up with music that actually creates or recreates intimacy involves not just knowledge and technique, but also full emotional involvement and something that only artists of the stature of Miles Davis or Lee Morgan were able to come up with.
Of course, Pelt has yet to reach such stature, but on the evidence of this album, he is definitely on his way to achieving that.
And yes, whether he is working here in a quintet setting here (Victor Gould – piano, Buster Williams – bass, Billy Hart – drums Chico Pinheiro – guitar) or with subtle string arrangements (David O’Rourke), Pelt does create that musical intimacy, and with his vocals on the closing “Two For The Road,” showing that he is a jazz artist to watch.
