Originally a Charlie Parker acolyte before developing his own sound, alto saxophonist Charles McPherson has had a long, prolific career, with close relationships to bassist/composer Charles Mingus and pianist Barry Harris and over two dozen solo albums. Recorded live at SMOKE Jazz Club in 2023 and dedicated to Harris, Reverence stays the course of his career, featuring performances that reveal his fealty to the old school bop sound. For these dates, McPherson assembled a sterling band, including trumpeter Terell Stafford, pianist Jeb Patton, bassist David Wong, and drummer Billy Drummond on four original and two standards. The musicians blaze joyfully on “Ode to Barry” (in salute to Harris) and “Blues for Lonnie in Three” (dedicated to McPherson’s late horn compadre Lonnie Hilyer) and burn soulfully on the standards “Old Folks” and “Come Rain or Come Shine.” If Reverence sounds like an almost prototypical night out in New York, it’s meant to: no gimmicks, no novelties, no twenty-first century innovations – just five guys standing on stage playing jazz with skill and delight.
