The Lighting of the Lamps by Grant Stewart Quartet w/ Bruce Harris
Larry Gee | Published on 2/5/2023
The Lighting of the Lamps by Grant Stewart Quartet w/ Bruce Harris (available on Bandcamp) is a rare find.
Those familiar with the classic Blue Note jazz sounds of the sixties will feel at home with Grant Stewart on tenor sax. On this album, Grant Stewart, a former DownBeat Rising Star, leads the quartet with Tardo Hammer on piano, David Wong on bass, and Phil Stewart on drums. The quartet is joined by Bruce Harris performing on trumpet. Together they created The Lighting of the Lamps, released in 2022 on the Cellar Music label. For more background on the group, check out Jim Hynes' review at the indie music scene site makingascene.org.
The lively tempo of this album had me tapping my toes to the music throughout the entire album. With the machine gun firing pace of "Mo is On", the entire ensemble's talents were highlighted as I tried to breathe to keep up. I finally caught my breath on the next track with Frank Sinatra's classic "I'm A Fool To Want You".
With this album, I could close my eyes, relax, and get lost in the music. I found The Lighting of the Lamps to be a thoroughly enjoyable album from start to finish. A rare find indeed.
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