Creole Orchestra

Big band music in the 21st century can often feel quite dated, so it's refreshing to hear an album such as Creole Orchestra inject an excitingly modern sound back into the genre. As an arranger, Etienne Charles does a superb job of combining old-school jazz vocabulary with the energetic calypso rhythms of the eastern Caribbean. As a trumpeter, he is laid-back and deeply melodic, with strong hints of late 1950s Miles Davis. The supporting solos venture stylistically across decades of jazz history: rootsy blues, chromatic bebop, some tasteful ‘outside’ phrasing – even a hint of hip-hop. The album is studded with imaginative renditions of classic jazz standards, including ‘Stompin’ at the Savoy’ and ‘Night Train’. Singer René Marie also features on four of the tracks, lifting the album with her beguiling storytelling and seductive phrasing. A wonderful release from the trumpeter – confident, colourful and charismatic.