Russ Brannon – Sojourn
Russ Brannon; Various Artists
Independent (russbrannon.com)
Cruising, nocturnal, tasteful, groove-laden, melodic and velvety in equal measure, Sojourn is a pleasure to sit through, and then sit through again, and then again. The ensemble Russ Brannon recruits here is on the larger side, and yet rather than a wall of sound, what greets the listener is more like a warm breeze.
Consisting entirely of Brannon’s original compositions, the subtleties are what arrest and surprise the most here. Pauline’s shuffling beat gives way to a buoyant waltz, one that feels lighter than air while also being on the looser side, hanging back nicely in the beat. Thistle Street moves effortlessly through unison lines between the guitar and saxophone, into more open sections that give the piece time to breathe. Soloing is nicely paced, while the actual blowing has a feeling of palpable intent (not to be mistaken for sounding contrived, there is still much freedom here) behind it, as if each catchy melody was contending with the others for real estate in the listener’s mind.
When the band arrives in a spot together, it feels like second nature, even down to every last premeditated rhythmic hit. Adding considerable richness to these arrangements are a full string section and Lori Cullen’s voice; the former uplifting numerous sections with ambient swells while the latter provides a unique ethereal quality to the more harmonic passages. To sojourn is to stay temporarily, but Sojourn will remain with you for a while.
