Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Chad McCullough: Forward

Chad McCullough: Forward

By Dan McClenaghan
November 13, 2020
View read count

Since his excellent recording debut under his own name, 2009's Dark Wood, Dark Water (Origin Records), trumpeter Chad McCullough has co-led a handful of forward-leaning discs with Belgian pianist

Bram Weijters

piano
b.1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Bram Weijters and one with Slovakian pianist

" data-original-title="" title="">Michal Vanoucek, in addition his work as sideman and his contributions to a few leaderless ensemble sets. Forward is just his second outing with his name on the album cover as the sole leader.

His is a consistently strong catalog, but McCullough shines brightest in his trumpeter and a rhythm section outings: Abstract Quantities (2015), Urban Nightingale (2012) and Imaginary Sketches (2011), all on Origin Records, all with pianist Weijters. With Forward, McCullough sharpens his vision further in the a trumpeter and piano/bass/drums mode, the way

Miles Davis

trumpet
1926 - 1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Miles Davis did it on his overlooked, early career Musings With Miles (Prestige, 1955), or—to bring things into a more recent timeframe—in the

Tomasz Sta��ko

trumpet
1942 - 2018

" data-original-title="" title="">Tomasz Sta��ko style of the wonderful Wislawa (ECM, 2013) or

Ralph Alessi

trumpet
b.1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Ralph Alessi's Baida (ECM, 2013), four man groups working their magic outside of the template of two horns and a rhythm section mode set by trumpeter

Dizzy Gillespie

trumpet
1917 - 1993

" data-original-title="" title="">Dizzy Gillespie and alto saxophonist

Charlie Parker

saxophone, alto
1920 - 1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Charlie Parker's Diz and Bird (Clef/Verve, 1952).

The description "soft sparkle" comes to mind as "November Lake," the set's opening tune, spins into existence. It is a sparse, cushioned sort of Miles Davis In A Silent Way (Columbia, 1969) vibe. Part of this is

Rob Clearfield

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Rob Clearfield's nimble piano work; part of it is McCullough's beautiful tone and unhurried articulation, along with bassist

Matt Ulery

bass, acoustic

" data-original-title="" title="">Matt Ulery's warm heartbeat, the subtle and insistent intricacies of

Jon Deitemyer

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Jon Deitemyer's drums. In these regards, Forward has in common, with the previously mentioned classic quartet sets by Davis, Alessi and Stanko, the advantages of being a first rate ensemble playing superior compositions (all by McCullough) in a cohesive context on comfort level of the highest order.

"Oak Park" takes things to the next level. A tribute to the architect Frank Lloyd Wright (Wright's studio was in Oak Park, near Chicago), the tune is a somber and contemplative paean, ten minutes of McCullough-crafted beauty augmented by the subtle studio wizardry (keyboards and programming) of Forward's producer

Ryan Cohen

electronics

" data-original-title="" title="">Ryan Cohen. Three of the set's six tunes feature Cohen's contributions, including "Grace At The Gavel Or Grace At The Gallows," featuring Cohen's understated, fade in/fade out, "with strings-like" backdrop, and "Water Tower Sunset," a gorgeous, introspective, kick-back-at-day's end celebration of life, to wrap a trumpeter/flugelhornist/composer Chad McCullough's finest recording to date.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

November Lake; Oak Park; Gentle; Grace At The Gavel Or Grace At The Gallows; Focal Point; Water Tower Sunset.

Personnel

Chad McCullough

trumpet

Rob Clearfield

piano

Matt Ulery

bass, acoustic

Jon Deitemyer

drums

Ryan Cohen

electronics

Album information

Title: Forward | Year Released: 2020 | Record Label: Outside in Music

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Trio Grande: Three instruments, thre...
< Previous

Oz Noy, Ben Wendel, John Scofield, G...
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.