Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Rodney Whitaker: Mosaic: The Music of Gregg Hill

Rodney Whitaker: Mosaic: The Music of Gregg Hill

By Paul Rauch
February 20, 2025
View read count

Rodney Whitaker: Mosaic: The Music of Gregg Hill

In their fourth collaboration on Origin Records, bassist and bandleader

Rodney Whitaker

bass
b.1968

" data-original-title="" title="">Rodney Whitaker and Central Michigan composer

" data-original-title="" title="">Gregg Hill strike gold once again, backed by a formidable gathering of musicians. Hill's music has experienced a surge in interest due to his prolific releases on Origin, which have featured musicians in and around the impressive jazz faculty roster at Michigan State University, a program with Whitaker at the helm.

Hill's compositions have a notable sound uniquely tied to both urban Detroit and the Michigan countryside. Sweeping melodies seem to express the structured machinations of daily urban reality, while others feel like wispy clouds hanging over lakefront countryside in the isolation of a Michigan winter. The opening two tracks are a case in point.

The title track begins in unison between trumpeter

Terell Stafford

trumpet
b.1966

" data-original-title="" title="">Terell Stafford and saxophonist

Tim Warfield

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">Tim Warfield. The opening statement soon evolves into a swinging Whitaker bass line that strides down the avenue prompting a following of melodic bursts from Stafford. Warfield follows on soprano, snaking his way in and out of Whitaker's cadence and the timely chordal chops of pianist

Rick Roe

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Rick Roe. Chicago stalwart

Dana Hall

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Dana Hall is in subtle push mode behind the beat. The tune is a statement of Whitaker's pure sense of swing, and his absolutely unique way of putting it down. While he and Roe are the avatars of swing and harmony on this tune and the album as a whole, each is equally adept in his solo efforts. It sounds so simple—the music swings as it has as a genre for a century, yet somehow Whitaker manages to put a true signature on it, in a way that inspires groove and freedom..

"Unknown Ballad" adds a vocal element, featuring

Rockelle Whitaker

" data-original-title="" title="">Rockelle Whitaker. While the ballad has a bit of a cop-out title, nobody is copping out of anything in performance of the ballad. Whitaker's voice is expressive in the narrative, with fine nuance and color adorning each note. Roe's solo brings out the beauty outside the bones of the tune, adding melodic prose within a lithe, resonant harmonic structure. Whitaker's vocals are strikingly narrative in her precise recitation of the lyrics, which are presented with a dynamic range that is thoughtfully soulful.

"Claxilever" takes us back to hard swinging post bop jazz, with Stafford featured on a snarly blues-engaged solo that glides through the changes like a shark seeking its next prey. Warfield responds on tenor, with his trademark full-bodied sound. His flashing lightning-quick runs are tempered by long throaty notes that leave a listener out on the edge before being pulled back into the swinging flow of the tune. The rhythm section, however, is the thing here—the Whitaker-led trio has logged some serious time together over the years, and that bears fruit on this recording. While Hill's compositions are skillfully written and arranged, and the front line provides superb melodic contributions, Whitaker, Roe and Hall provide the gravity for the music to be cohesive and strong. They do so with virtuosity and presence.

Whitaker returns for "Moonscape," sharing the melodic limelight with the solos of her bandmates. Warfield, in particular, is notable, offering a short tenor solo that is on point in lashing together Hill's penchant for producing urban compositions adorned with gray glimpses of the Michigan countryside. The four tunes on the album that include singing are not introduced as "vocal tunes"; the vocalist is utilized as a contributing musician, working within the same parameters as her bandmates. Most of the instrumental solos are short and to the point, as is Whitaker in her skillful charge through the lyrical prose she imparts.

Mosaic: The Music of Greg Hill is the fourth collaboration between Hill and Whitaker on Origin, the eighth overall on the highly regarded Seattle-based label. Two sessions led by trombonist

Michael Dease

trombone
b.1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Michael Dease, and two more led by guitarist

Randy Napoleon

guitar
b.1978

" data-original-title="" title="">Randy Napoleon are on the label as well. Hill's decade-long creative surge continues to produce great music, placed in the hands of musicians like Whitaker, surrounded by the tremendous talent that inhabits the great jazz city of Detroit.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Mosaic; Unknown Ballad; Claxilever; Katie��s Tune; Moonscape; Ray-Dias; Still Life With Tuba; Sloe Gin Fizz; Stargazer; Sunday Special.

Personnel

Rodney Whitaker

bass

Terell Stafford

trumpet

Tim Warfield

saxophone, tenor

Rick Roe

piano

Dana Hall

drums

Additional Instrumentation

Rockelle Whitaker: vocals.

Album information

Title: Mosaic: The Music of Gregg Hill | Year Released: 2025 | Record Label: Origin Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Tomorrowsville
< Previous

New Releases From Sarmiento, Despomm...
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.