Jonathan Barber: Vision Ahead
Vision Ahead Music

We expect debut albums to show promise, but we don't necessarily expect them to be fully realized and mature statements. A rare example of the latter, Jonathan Barber's Vision Ahead presents a twelve-track collection of modern jazz by the Hartford, Connecticut native that dazzles on multiple levels: performance, writing, arranging, and sequencing. Eight out of the twelve pieces on the release were composed by the drummer (he's also credited with lyrics on another), and the material is performed with conviction by the leader, pianist Taber Gable, guitarist Andrew Renfroe, saxophonist Godwin Louis, bassist Matt Dwonszyk, and vocalists Denise Renee and Sasha Foster (the latter lend their sultry voices to four tracks, while Barber himself is credited with vocals on two). As a drummer, he's a kinetic wonder whose dynamic playing energizes the others, and the recent best “Up & Coming” drummer accolade he received in the 2018 ‘Modern Drummer Readers Poll' is very much supported by his playing on the album. The musicians he's assembled for the project are strong, too, and Barber's compositions are well-served by such a tight unit.

If it seems like a strong sense of purpose pervades the album, it can in part be traced to a particularly traumatic event in Barber's life, the 2016 passing of his brother, which understandably threw the drummer into states of confusion and despair. With time and perseverance, a new appreciation for life and its possibilities emerged, and Barber began to look to the future with renewed hope; to that end one can regard Vision Ahead, both the band name and album title, as physical embodiments of that spirit. It's no accident that track titles such as “Doubt,” “Carry On,” and “Gone Away” allude to the emotional and psychological states he wrestled with as the album production progressed. Similarly, as titles, “Vision Ahead,” “Airport,” and “Time Will Tell” emphasize the importance of looking forward and the liberation that such a mindset brings.

Clearly Barber gave considerable thought to the compositions and their arrangements. Strong melodic hooks give the tunes thrust, while the progression through composed material and solos (in the title track, for example) maximizes the impact of the material. Sequencing is a strength, too, not just track-by-track sequencing but the flow within an individual piece. In place of tunes that follow a simple head-solos-head structure, Barber designs a performance so that soloing is satisfyingly ordered, and the compositional design often changes from one solo segment to another.

The album kicks off with a brief scene-setter “Statement of Vision” that leaves no doubt as to the leader's drumming prowess, after which the eight-minute title track appears, its title memorably voiced by the female singers by spelling out the first word and uttering the second. That rhythmic motif serves as springboard for the full band, which, powered by the leader's muscular attack, elevates the performance with ensemble swing and individual soloing. A fiery turn by Renfroe's up first, after which the tune segues into a driving jazz segment for a rapturous solo by Louis and a tasty Fender Rhodes spotlight by Gable. Barber weighs in thereafter with a tumultuous solo that leads in to a coda featuring revoicings of the track's multiple themes. In addition, the band's jazz chops are amply accounted for in the high-octane burners “Crown” and “Mr JB,” the latter a driving shape-shifter the musicians power with playing that's passionate and engaged in the extreme.

The jazz performances impress, obviously, but the set's also enriched by tracks that reflect Barber's other sides. Rooted in hip-hop, “Carry On” serves up two-and-a-half minutes of instrumental boom-bap, whereas “Time Will Tell” offers serious head-nod of its own, though this time it's with Barber, Renee, and Foster adding vocals. Warmth and soul ooze from the ballad “Think On These Things,” which finds the leader supporting solos by the bassist and guitarist with brushes before the vocalists deliver words of perseverance and hope, while “Airport,” originally written by pianist Eldar Djangirov, grew into a vocal piece after Barber set lyrics to it. He's a drummer first, but his singing on the cut's credible, and the tune effectively conveys its themes of freedom and liberation. Filled with excellent performances and writing, Vision Ahead is such a remarkably assured set one wonders how Barber will equal it—not a bad problem for a young and talented artist to have, all things considered.

May 2018