With a degree of sophistication that refuses to dim beneath trendy spotlights, LeeRoy by The Ruinous Quartet arrives with all of the cool confidence of a veteran ensemble that is aware of exactly when to push and when to carry. The seasoned trombonist Ben Barnett, who has etched his legacy into the partitions of New York’s most hallowed jazz establishments, leads with precision, panache, and an unteachable knack for arranging chaos into sophistication.
Having graduated with honours from each Buy School and Hofstra College, with a Grammy nomination to his identify and stage time shared with the likes of Barry Harris, Arturo O’Farrill, and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Barnett’s pedigree ensures LeeRoy is greater than a nod to custom. It’s a absolutely animated, genre-scorching demonstration of the place massive band jazz can go when the proper musicians are behind the wheel.
The keys sparkle with sufficient vivacity to summon a silver age of swing into the current day, whereas the percussion sparkles with a contained urgency that threatens to tip the monitor into riotous abandon. The Ruinous Quartet dwell as much as their identify with out ever shedding sight of sheer magnificence. The blistering drum solo carves a break within the construction sharp sufficient to shatter glass, but the entire composition holds its form with easy poise.
The sheen of traditional jazz might wrap LeeRoy in a satin glove, however the pulse beneath is pure electrical energy.
LeeRoy is now accessible to stream on all main platforms, together with Bandcamp.
Assessment by Amelia Vandergast
