Crisis

"Throughout, Hayes handily creates a foundation of effortlessly grooving, deeply rooted swing, in tandem with bassist Dezron Douglas, pianist David Hazeltine, and their bandmates ... Camille Thurman adds welcome contrast on a pair of tunes, applying her sophisticated, emotive vocals to the lush, melancholy "I'm Afraid the Masquerade is Over," pouring it on for the finish, and injecting some well-placed scat lines into the bouncy "Where Are You?" Crisis? What crisis?".

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"Crisis is intended as a tribute to all of Hayes' past and current colleagues. In addition to [Freddie Hubbard's] title track, which deftly shifts grooves from swing to Latin and back again (à la "On Green Dolphin Street"), the program also includes classic material penned by jazz royals Bobby Hutcherson, Lee Morgan and Joe Farrell. Dezron Douglas and Steve Nelson, this session's bassist and vibraphonist, each contribute compositions (...) that will surely resonate with listeners hungry for contemporary sounds and ideas. The versatile pianist David Hazeltine and the vital tenor saxophonist Abraham Burton round out the all-star quintet, which approaches the diverse source material with a combination of raw enthusiasm and easy coolness, hallmarks of hard-bop's golden age ... Hayes' grooves on Crisis are solid yet completely unforced, and he kicks up plenty of magic dust throughout via the well-placed crashes, bombs, tom-rolls and snare cracks that have marked his signature swinging style for decades".

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