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''Nextep'' is an album by trombonist
Benny Powell Benjamin Gordon Powell Jr. (March 1, 1930 – June 26, 2010) was an American jazz trombonist. He played both standard (tenor) trombone and bass trombone. Biography Born Benjamin Gordon Powell Jr. in New Orleans, Louisiana, he first played pr ...
. Featuring ten original compositions by Powell, his band members, and his ex-wife, it was recorded on February 9 and 10, 2007, at Alleycat Studio in
South Orange, New Jersey South Orange is a historic suburban Village (New Jersey), village located in Essex County, New Jersey. It was formally known as the Township of South Orange Village from October 1978 until April 25, 2024. As of the 2020 United States census, ...
, and was issued on CD in 2008 by
Origin Records Origin Records is a jazz and classical music record label founded by drummer John Bishop in 1997.de Barros, Paul (July 2, 2002)Small label, big noise: Ballard's Origin Records drumming up national interest Seattle Times. With the help of drummer M ...
, Powell's last release as a leader. On the album, Powell is joined by saxophonist and flutist
T. K. Blue Eugene Rhynie (born February 7, 1953),TK Blue Artist Profile
Motéma Music.
known professionally as T. ...
, pianist Sayuri Goto, double bassist Essiet Okon Essiet, and drummer
Billy Hart Billy Hart (born November 29, 1940) is an American jazz drumming, jazz drummer and educator. He is known internationally for his work with Herbie Hancock's "Mwandishi" band in the early 1970s, as well as with Shirley Horn, Stan Getz, and Quest (b ...
. In an interview, Powell stated: "The album is a culmination of New Orleans Second Line marching music, and rhythms from South Africa and the Caribbean. I called it ''Nextep'' because our next step is to be recognized as composers of original songs."


Reception

In a review for ''
DownBeat ''DownBeat'' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...
'', John Ephland wrote: "This album is ripe with personality. Every cut evokes the aura of its leader... And each cut is different from the one that came before it... with this combination of players and repertoire, we get something worth listening to."
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
's Adam Greenberg stated: "...it's a special treat when a trombone actually works in the front of an ensemble. Here though, it's not just the trombone behind the album's success; it's the core trio behind the compositions... and their sparkling solos, as well as a solid rhythm section that can easily maneuver from a Caribbean groove to a late-night blues riff without missing a step." Dan McClenaghan of ''
All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...
'' commented: "Powell assembles an ensemble of players of diverse backgrounds and gives them a free rein, and comes up with a gem of an album... ''Nextep'' is a wonderful example of a band full of players with disparate approaches coming together and creating beautifully fresh-sounding music, with the supple-toned trombonist Benny Powell at the helm." ''AAJ'' writer Andrew Velez remarked: "Powell has said he thinks this is his best CD to date. Overflowing with strong, original music, it is absolutely first class all the way." Writing for ''
JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' was an American print magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C., in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade ...
'', Will Smith noted: "Powell may have lost a step or two with regard to his solo work on ''Nextep''... yet he's still out there offering an abundance of music worth hearing with an often sprightly, burnished sound, and is clearly not slowing down... With widely varied music tinged by New Orleans, South African, Brazilian and Caribbean rhythms, the blues and bop, Powell and sidemen... move through this batch of original works with a relaxed grace and charm."


Track listing

# "Free to Be Me" (T.K. Blue) – 5:34 # "The Township Diary" (T.K. Blue) – 5:34 # "Best People" (Sayuri Goto) – 5:06 # "Akiha" (Sayuri Goto) – 5:57 # "Another Blue" (T. K. Blue) – 6:18 # "Night, Never End" (Sayuri Goto) – 6:38 # "I Tried and Tried" (Petsye Powell) – 5:20 # "A Single Tear of Remembrance" (T.K. Blue) – 7:18 # "You Got It" (Benny Powell) – 5:31 # "The Caribbean Express" (T.K. Blue) – 4:28


Personnel

*
Benny Powell Benjamin Gordon Powell Jr. (March 1, 1930 – June 26, 2010) was an American jazz trombonist. He played both standard (tenor) trombone and bass trombone. Biography Born Benjamin Gordon Powell Jr. in New Orleans, Louisiana, he first played pr ...
– trombone *
T. K. Blue Eugene Rhynie (born February 7, 1953),TK Blue Artist Profile
Motéma Music.
known professionally as T. ...
– alto saxophone, flute, soprano saxophone * Sayuri Goto – piano * Essiet Okon Essiet – double bass *
Billy Hart Billy Hart (born November 29, 1940) is an American jazz drumming, jazz drummer and educator. He is known internationally for his work with Herbie Hancock's "Mwandishi" band in the early 1970s, as well as with Shirley Horn, Stan Getz, and Quest (b ...
– drums


References

{{Reflist, 30em 2008 albums Benny Powell albums Origin Records albums