Solon McDade: Murals

Murals, the debut release by bassist Solon McDade and his quintet, confronts this reviewer with a genuine dilemma, namely what to praise first? The exciting hard-bop style of the band? McDade’s accomplished composing? The smart-aleck song titles? The sense of happy swing generated by the rhythm section of McDade, pianist Paul Shrofel, and drummer Rich Irwin? The buoyant front line of two strong soloists, Donny Kennedy on alto sax and Jeremiah McDade on tenor? Right from the start, as the band strolls into the brisk He’s a Problem in the Locker Room, it’s clear that this is an accomplished unit, confident and adept at bringing McDade’s catchy tunes to life. The smartly sequenced 65-minute program includes a pair of well-paced ballads (the sensuous Do Airplanes Scratch the Sky?, with a nicely relaxed bass solo, and the delicate Ballad of Sir William Ormerod, with a lush introduction by pianist Shrofel), the peppy Whatever Whatever with an energetically boppish alto solo by Kennedy, a blues kicked off by McDade’s supple bass, and the expansive closing track, A Shorter Thing. The Montréal-based McDade, who toured Canada in the Eighties and Nineties with the McDade Family Band, has clearly spent a lot of time paying close attention to Blue Note recordings of the Fifties and Sixties by artists like Wayne Shorter, Jackie McLean, Lee Morgan, and Horace Silver. While his influences are apparent, he brings a freshness and natural exuberance to the music. Murals is a winner from start to finish, and definitely recommended.
Self-produced; Donny Kennedy (as) Jeremiah McDade (ts) Paul Shrofel (p) Solon McDade (b) Rich Irwin (d); Montréal, Quebec, April 12, 2017; He’s a Problem in the Locker Room/ Buy the Tractor/ Do Airplanes Scratch the Sky?/ Whatever Whatever/ The Ballad of Sir William Ormerod/ Off the Bed Rose/ Blues for Sebastian/ Ali’s Second Line/ A Shorter Thing; 65:16. www.solonmcdade.com