No Need for Words

Trumpeter Sean Jones' 2011 studio effort No Need for Words is an engaging and straightforward post-bop affair that showcases Jones' flexible improvisation skills. Having left the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra in 2010 to better pursue his solo efforts, Jones set himself up nicely here with an album that certainly reinforces his profile as a bright-toned trumpeter with titanic chops, while also revealing a more intimate, supple horn style and a knack for writing interesting compositions. Opening with the swinging "Look and See," the album also features such stand-out cuts as the expansive Latin number "Olive Juice," the R&B-inflected ballad "Momma," the angular and funky "Touch and Go," and the Miles Davis-influenced title track ballad, among others. Joining Jones here is a stellar cast of like-minded instrumentalists including pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Luques Curtis, drummer Obed Calvaire, saxophonist Brian Hogan, percussionist Kahlil Kwame Bell, organist Corey Henry, and guitarist Matt Stevens. No Need for Words is easily Jones' best small group album to date.