傑米森•羅斯 / 一心一意 (CD)

比賽的確會改變人的一生。爵士樂歷年來最重要的比賽不外乎Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition。傑米森•羅斯2012年奪得該獎鼓手大賽冠軍後，經過三年等待。Concord唱片公司與其簽下錄音合約，但他被相中的不只是打鼓。更多是因為他作曲的才華與演唱的特質。第一張專輯『Jamsion』於2015年發行時，他就以多首自創曲與演唱為主的獨特表現，贏得樂評青睞。

  2018年最新專輯『一心一意』(All For One)，標題已呈現多種可能性，但唯一不變的是對於音樂創作的心意不變。特別是爵士樂在近十年少有將才出現，加上大師日漸凋零，樂界則是出現自種不同的聲音。傑米森•羅斯就是這種似乎“不務正業”不按爵士樂傳統出招的音樂家。他堅持走自己的路，「Away」這一首抒情歌走都會民謠風，已經讓人訝異。「Don’t Go To Strangers」與「Everybody’s Crying Mercy」，把前輩經典老歌成爵士與靈魂風的新風貌。這更不用說他個人創作「Tears And Questions」與「Keep On」，因為受到前輩Marvin Gaye的影響，將電子鍵盤樂器的伴奏巧妙運用在伴奏之間。

這張專輯不是爵士樂的傳統演唱，也可能只有一點即興風貌，但是卻是一個令人意外驚奇的歌唱錄音。

For Immediate Release – Whereas Jamison Ross’ GRAMMY®-nominated, vocal-heavy 2015 debut disc, Jamison shocked some listeners who knew him primarily as a drummer, especially after he won the 2012 Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Drum Competition, his sophomore disc, All For One, scheduled for release on January 26, 2018 via Concord Jazz, will surely solidify his reputation as one his generation’s brightest vocalists and drummers. WBGO.org has the track premiere for "Don’t Go to Strangers" here.

All For One boasts a cast of musicians of whom Ross has developed a strong rapport from touring – pianist Chris Pattishall, guitarist Rick Lollar (both of whom played on the 2015 debut), bassist Barry Stephenson, and Cory Irvin on Hammond organ and Fender Rhodes. Ross is particularly enthusiastic with the addition of Irvin on the organ because he likens that instrument to an orchestra that would accompany jazz singers like Frank Sinatra or Billie Holiday. "When I first added the organ in my band, I was inspired by Marvin Gaye’s 1964 LP, When I’m Alone I Cry," Ross explains. "[On that album] he sings jazz standards with a full orchestra. The organ is like my orchestra. The way I use the organ is a very calculated form. It produces the atmosphere throughout the record. And that parallels with how I grew up in church. The organist pulls the emotion out of every tune."

The disc perfects the intoxicating chemistry of the 29-year-old’s debut, which intermingled blues, jazz, R&B and soul effortlessly. "All For One is literally the second chapter," Ross explains after comparing the success of his debut and the world tour in support of that album as a "whirlwind of smiles and gratitude." "There’s no deep way to view All For One other than it being the second chapter of me revealing myself as a man who loves as a father, husband, friend, and brother and as an artist who brings that love to other people while receiving love from my audience."

For sure, love is a recurring theme on All For One as the material touches on both the romantic kind and the socio-political aspect of love that calls for unity among a diverse and, at times, a divisive community. The album also finds the Jacksonville, Florida born and now New Orleans-based Ross plowing into the rarefied areas of blues and R&B that seldom gets investigated by his peers. 

Ross begins the disc with mighty shout out to the Crescent City’s R&B legacy with the vivacious make of "A Mellow Time," a 1966 tune written by Allen Toussaint and made famous by Lee Dorsey. "I’m the biggest Lee Dorsey fan and I’m a huge Allen Toussaint fan," Ross enthuses. "A lot of tunes like this taught me how to write. I want to write songs that have stories inspired by love. 

The title track – "All For One" – is another Big Easy-based song; it’s a rare groover written and recorded in 1993 by Wilson Turbinton, better known as Willie Tee. The lyrics’ plead for love takes on both amorous and socio-political overtones that spills over to other songs on the album, such as Ross’ splendid rendition of Mose Allison’s 1968 classic, "Everybody’s Cryin’ Mercy." "It’s a rough time in America. It’s that simple," Ross explains. "I know a lot of Mose Allison’s music. I like the way that he could talk the blues. He didn’t sing the blues; he talked the blues. That song has such a pivotal message for where we are right now as a nation." 

Fats Waller’s 1936’s "Let’s Sing Again," which closes All For One is another old-school gem. On Ross’ makeover, his sanguine singing soars atop of Irvin’s churchy organ accompaniment – a strategic move that tips its hat pays to Waller’s church roots in New York as well as Ross’ background in Jacksonville, Florida, where he grew up singing in his grandfather’s church. 

Ross also delves into jazz standards on All For One with his haunting reading of "Don’t Go to Strangers," a ballad written by Arthur Kent and Dave Mann and made famous in 1960 by Etta Jones, and his alluring version of Ira Gershwin and Kurt Weill’s 1941 classic, "My Ship," which gains a subtle country vibe thanks for Lollar’s guitar yawns. "I don’t do a lot of jazz standards. The covers that I do come more from the obscure blues realm," Ross says. "But I honestly love singing ’Don’t Go to Strangers.’ I sang it at NPR’s Jazz Night in America tribute to Rudy Van Gelder Concert. That song taught me a lot about phrasing, which I used on ’My Ship.’"

All For One contains some exquisite originals too. The gentle, blues-tinted ballad "Unspoken" is a song Ross penned for his wife, Adrienne, to express his enduring love for her while he’s on the road. The jaunty "Call Me" is another original written with Ross’ wife in mind. The backstory of "Call Me" involves his wife phoning him while he was in the middle of crafting an infectious boogaloo drum groove. Instead of getting frustrated by the interruption, Ross allows the phone call from his wife to become an inspirational force. Ross dedicates the melancholy "Away" to his daughter, Jazz Aubrielle as he conveys missing her while he’s constantly on the road and reminding her that his love for her is unending. 

The soothing bossa nova, "Safe in Arms of Love," co-written with Lollar and Joshua Starkman, and the somber, wordless vocalese ballad "Tears and Questions" find Ross turning his attention back to more socio-political issues. Both songs were written while he was touring Australia with Nicholas Payton then receiving news of the 2016 police killing of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge.  Ross’ soul-infused "Keep On" offers encouraging balm in the face of tragic upheaval.

Besides the wordless "Tears and Questions," All For One contains no instrumentals like its predecessor; nor does it explicitly showcases Ross’ virtuosity as a drummer. "I started touring and playing on a constant basis with my band. That didn’t happen before I made my first record," Ross explains. "So playing instrumentals was part of my development then. I feel now, I don’t have to prove that I can play instrumentals anymore nor do I have to prove my drumming skills. Recording instrumentals is not indicative to what my artistic concept has grown into.  This album is a result of a personal revelation that we all have the capacity to love with empathy in a deeper way.  The love you need comes from me and the love I need comes from you.  All for one, one for all."