Though not the household names of many of their peers, pianist Adegoke Steve Colson and singer Iqua Colson have been been members of Chicago’s Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians for over fifty years. That lack of recognition comes in part due to the duo’s multi-faceted careers, as both have worked as educators and community organizers as much as musicians. But the couple still keep a hand in, as evidenced by Glow. Joined by bassist Mark Helias and drummer Andrew Cyrille, the pair present a variety of themes in melodic hard bop packages. “Truly,” “Getting Comfortable,” and “For Freddie” (a tribute to Freddie Hubbard) show off Steve’s mastery of the piano trio, with swinging arrangements that would be as comfortable in the mid-fifites as the mid-twenty twenties. When Iqua steps up to the mic, she has little choice but to comment on the times at hand, with protest songs both subtle (“Clouds On a Sunny Day”) and blunt (“Atrocities”). The set rounds out with a pair of older compositions, including “Midnight Samba,” an unsurprisingly groovy tune first recorded by Cyrille in 1997, and the lush title ballad, featuring Iqua’s wordless croon and previously put to digital wax in 1994 by Hannibal Marvin Peterson. (The Colsons had never recorded either song until now.) Though not earthshaking, Glow is a welcome return for veterans who’ve never truly received their due.
