After working with modern jazz stars like Mary Halvorson, Dave Douglas, Joel Ross, and Linda May Han Oh, trumpeter Dave Adewumi makes his debut as a leader with The Flame Beneath the Silence. Recorded live at Ornithology before an intimate audience, the performance features the New England Conservatory/Juilliard School alumnus fronting a quartet that includes Ross, Oh, and drummer Marcus Gilmore for a high-powered ensemble whose formation bespeaks the respect the young Adewumi already commands. For good reason – check out the thoughtful exploratory jazz of “Infinite Loop,” as Adewumi’s horn rides a roiling groove powered by Gilmore’s controlled hyperactivity, or “The Vine,” a gorgeous piece that maintains enough tension to keep lush balladry at bay. Not that Adewumi can’t pen a lovely serenade, as he effortlessly does with “Abandon.” The quarter really stretches out on the wittily titled “If I Need to Do This Again, I’m Going to Throw a Fit,” ten minutes of wandering, probing, exploratory jazz that lets every member have a chance to prod the composition forward in good-natured fashion – you can almost feel the grins and side-eyes happening over the course of the performance. The Flame Beneath the Silence is a solid debut from an already worthy musician whose promise can only grow.
