Trumpeter and Composer Marquis Hill Augments Quartet With Hip Hop Artists On ‘Rituals + Routines’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

Fearless composer and trumpeter Marquis Hill is the epitome of Chicago’s vanguard of progressive contemporary jazz artists.  Surely, you’ve seen his name associated with his colleagues Makaya McCraven, Walter Smith III, and Joel Ross, among others. We covered Hill’s 2022 New Gospel Revisited, also on Edition Records on these pages. Although Hill’s roots are in hard bop, which was the predominant style on that reimagining of his 2012 album, he also incorporates melodies, harmonies, and rhythms from hip-hop, soul, gospel, and even blues. On this latest effort, Hill returns in a deeper way to the style of his Soul Sign (2020) and Love Tape (2019) albums, putting an emphasis on vocals and spoken word through his guests in this concept album that urges us to find more definition, purpose, and value in the rituals and routines that we take for granted.

The titles of the songs, especially the parenthetic portions spell them out in this litany – “Rise – (All Possibilities),” “Breathe (Give Thanks & Gratitude)”, “Stretch (The Body},” “Cleanse (The Waters)” “Smoke (Herbs & Teas),” “Peace (Be Still),” “Break (Fuel),” and “Outside (Protected).” Hill plays trumpet, flugelhorn, effects and adds vocals with keyboardist Michael King, and bassist Junius Paul, also credited with toys and effects as is drummer Indie Buz. Guest Ariesfoolmoon delivers barely discernable vocals over a dense mix of trumpet and synths in the opener while “Breathe” has Hill on a much clearer spoken word that equates breathing to a spiritual act after which he blows his otherworldly horn over a dense, almost industrial, mind-bending backdrop while drummer Buz gives it a hip hop beat. “Stretch” features Hill’s spoken words as well with the distinctive vibraphone of Joel Ross who along with drummer Buz, lay down an inspiring sequence. 

Hill and guest Braxton Cook, who also delivers a spirited alto sax solo, lends a conversational approach to “Cleanse” while Hill’s horn adds the coda. The core quartet revs up behind Buz’s kit work for “Smoke” which, like the others, mashes up Hill’s trumpet sound with blurring synths and effects.  Guest G. Thomas Allen waxes eloquently about the meaning of rituals in the ethereal “Peace” while “Break” plays out in true hip-hop form, with Hill leading both with his words and horn. The higher-pitched vocalist and MC Phoelix put a rhythmic spin on the closer, “Outside.” 

This is a brief album where each track ranges from two to four minutes. We hear very little of Hill’s trumpet playing or conventional jazz save the solos from Ross and Cook. Instead, Hill blends his horn with the various keyboards and effects to form a dense backdrop for the vocal and spoken word passages.  It’s a progressive effort that’s best suited to a UK jazz audience or the ‘jazz adjacent’ hip hop audience, clearly apart from any kind of mainstream jazz or Hill’s previous album on Edition.

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