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Dick Titterington & The Three Trumpet Band, Three Trumpets, No Waiting (Heavywood)
Trumpet stars of the Portland jazz scene, Dick Titterington, Paul Mazzio and Thomas Barber blend and challenge one another. From the outset, the leader sets a high standard with the range, technical skill and crafty ideas of his extended improvisation on Michael Brecker’s “African Skies.†Mazzio’s reflective solo and Barber’s brief exercise in wit on John Scofield’s “Gil B643†are highlights. The harmonic textures of Titterington’s writing for the ensemble are effective throughout, notably so in his “Threnody For Willie†and Mike Stern’s “Upside Downside.†Greg Goebel, a rising piano star, owns the Stern piece with an imaginative Fender Rhodes solo. Bassist Andrea Niemiec and drummer Jason Palmer complete the energetic rhythm section. Three-trumpet albums are rare. It has been 57 years since the Donald Byrd-Art Farmer-Idrees Sulieman Three Trumpets. Titterington’s album is a worthy successor.