Search - Ryan Kisor :: On the One

The Amazing Ryan

Thomas J. Lee | Storrs, CT USA | 09/26/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm really puzzled about why there is only one review for this album. So puzzled in fact, that I am compelled to write my first album review. This is really amazing playing from a 19 year old Kisor. Backed up by the likes of Chris Potter, Mulgrew Miller, Christian McBride and Lewis Nash, this group really gels well. The arrangement of trumpet, alto and tenor on all the heads really adds a lot of personality to these tunes, which have been thoughtfully chosen for this date. This album doesn't suffer from the staleness of programming (either too uniform or too diverse). There are tunes that burn, swing, drive, groove, and solos that really uplift the listener and help take the tunes to that special place. Kisor explodes on the scene with a fiery modern tone, with amazing technique to boot. This is the kind of playing that I think a lot of jazz fans hoped Wynton would dish out in his heyday, continuing the legacy of Freddie Hubbard. Standout tunes include a blazin' blues "Remembering Tomorrow" where Ryan really shows his stuff, "Valhalla" a Potter composition, "Darn that Dream" performed as a duet with Mulgrew and the super chill closer "Beatitudes". You can't go wrong checking out this album. Kisor is out there setting the bar higher for jazz trumpeters."