Marquis Hill: New Gospel Revisited
Edition Records

New Gospel Revisited looks backwards and forwards for trumpeter Marquis Hill: the incendiary live reimagining of his 2012 debut album is also his debut for Edition Records and thus signifies the beginning of a new chapter. Recorded at Constellation in Chicago on December 8th, 2019 and produced by Hill, much of the set is pure fire thanks to the incredible musicians featured on the seventy-six-minute release: the leader, tenor saxophonist Walter Smith III, vibraphonist Joel Ross, pianist James Francies, drummer Kendrick Scott, and bassist Harish Raghavan.

On the uptempo cuts especially, the unit blazes with visceral energy and commanding force. Certainly there's plenty of Hill's playing to enjoy, but each member distinguishes himself formidably. Testifying to the importance of each one to the group, the album intersperses collective statements with pithy solo interludes that attest to their individual gifts (Ross's interlocking display is particularly entrancing). The trumpeter's name might be the one on the marquee, but his is a band of equals when each figures prominently and solo spots are generously distributed.

Throughout, Scott and Raghavan power the band with torrential fury and ever-resourceful imagination. Yet while their playing alone rewards the listener's attention, Hill, Smith III, Ross, and Francies likewise mesmerize at different moments. All six reinvigorate the eight compositions on New Gospel with the kind of fervour a live set naturally engenders. Adding to the release's appeal, the set-list balances fiery material with an occasional foray into neo-soul and R&B-flavoured jazz. An early peak arrives with the head-spinning “Law & Order,” a towering, fourteen-minute dynamo elevated by Hill with a fluid solo and equally agile statements by Smith III, Ross, and Francies. Appealing too is the penultimate “The Thump” for its lightly swinging groove and funky theme. Here and elsewhere, Ross's vibes add an attractive timbre to what would otherwise be a horns-driven unit.

Hill's a magnetic and masterful player armed with a fearless attack and full, rich tone, and the authority he's developed on the horn's never in doubt. His writing's also strong, as evidenced by the swoon-inducing “Autumn” and “The Believer,” the former a sultry, lyrical expression and the latter a seductive, Latin-tinged marvel. Whereas the former's enhanced by fabulous mute playing from Hill, Smith III might be thought to be channeling Joe Henderson on the latter when his smooth tone recalls the late legend's so strongly. With ten years of recordings behind him, Hill isn't a new kid on the block, yet his star should continue to rise with the release of New Gospel Revisited. In reimagining his debut album so dynamically, he serves notice that he's definitely an artist to be reckoned with as he embarks on the next phase in his career.

May 2022