Jazz has long been a musical format that welcomes prodigious newcomers into its well-known groups. From 20-year-old trumpeter Lee Morgan joining drummer Art Blakey’s all-star Messengers band in 1958 to 23-year-old pianist Herbie Hancock joining the Miles Davis Quintet in 1963, 20-year-old flautist Elena Pinderhughes playing with trumpeter Christian Scott on 2015’s ‘Stretch Music’ and 24-year-old drummer Roni Kaspi featuring with bassist Avishai Cohen on 2024’s ‘Brightlight’, the blending of fresh blood with seasoned talent seems to consistently make for improvisatory wonders.
In 2024, Blue Note put together a new group exemplifying this energetic mix of young and not-so-young to celebrate its 85th anniversary. Named The Blue Note Quintet, the group features celebrated upstarts Joel Ross on vibraphone and saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins alongside seasoned bandleaders Kendrick Scott on drums, bassist Matt Brewer and pianist Gerald Clayton. The Quintet promptly embarked on a 35-date tour across the US and while on the road began working out a series of tunes that would go on to form their forthright and deeply expressive debut album, ‘Motion I’, released under the new moniker Out Of/Into.
Scrawled on manuscript paper while travelling between shows and thrashed out during soundchecks, or most often onstage during performances themselves, the seven resulting compositions of ‘Motion I’ display both an irrepressible urgency and expansive depth. Opening composition “Ofafrii” sets the tone, building an intricate rhythm across Scott’s textural cymbal work and Ross’s vibraphone melody before Wilkins’ saxophone enters the frame to lift the mood from dark introspection into bright self-expression, eventually soaring to reach a lyrical, be bop-referencing solo halfway through the track’s seven-minute runtime.
Other up-tempo numbers on the album continue this weaving of atmospheres and instrumental virtuosity, often producing several unexpected turns within a single composition. “Synchrony”, for instance, develops from a freeform drum solo across Scott’s toms into a tight, restrained double-time swing beneath Ross’ languorous soloing, before suddenly veering into a burning solo from Wilkins that encourages the group to crescendo continually until the raucous end of the track. “Radical”, meanwhile, spans everything from hard bop to Latin rhythm, soulful melody and modernist counterpoint in its lively arrangement.
It isn’t just the fast compositions that prick the ears on ‘Motion I’, either, since the group’s downtempo tracks equally showcase a fresh and engaging side to their creative curiosity. “Gabaldon’s Glide” harnesses an ascending motif to anchor yearning melodic lines from Ross and Clayton, while “Bird’s Luck” highlights Wilkins’ capacity for emotive balladry in its keening phrases. One of the shortest tracks on the album, the four minute “Second Day”, is also perhaps its most moving, gently building a swaying hip-hop groove through Brewer’s bassline and Scott’s snare drum brushwork as Wilkins and Ross go on to trade expansive solos that bravely leave space for silence and self-reflection.
Throughout its storied 85-year history, Blue Note has produced several formidable new combos from its ranks of signed artists. In 1984, Out of the Blue was formed to showcase the label’s young musicians like saxophonist Kenny Garrett and pianist Renee Rosnes, while the late-80s Superblue group focused on a hard bop revival with trumpeter Roy Hargrove, and 2014’s Blue Note All-Stars featured 21st Century jazz stalwarts like pianist Robert Glasper, guitarist Lionel Loueke and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire. Yet, none have harnessed an intergenerational energy quite like Out Of/Into. On ‘Motion I’, the quintet exemplifies the ways that musicians at different stages of their careers can work in harmony to share their expertise. The old(er) guard of the group provides a steadfast foundation, leaving ample space for Wilkins and Ross to flex their virtuosic skills and ultimately produce a record of immense energy that reveals new musical discoveries in each listen. “We pushed one another to reach further and dig deeper,” Scott says of their writing and recording process. “Things grew both tighter and looser. So much talent and creativity was on that bandstand.”
Although Out Of/Into may not be billed as an ‘All Star’ group yet, there is little doubt that each player in its ranks will continue to shape the future of jazz for decades to come. They will inspire new generations to pick up an instrument and try out the form, and one day they might even find themselves sharing the same stage, improvising in harmony.
Read on…Continuing the Legacy – Don Was & Blue Note Records
Ammar Kalia is a writer and musician. He is the Guardian’s Global Music Critic and writes for the Observer, Downbeat, Jazzwise and others. His debut novel, A Person Is A Prayer, is out now.