Jeremy Pelt – Close To My Heart

DownBeat magazine’s choice for Rising Star On Trumpet went to Jeremy Pelt in 2003 as well as the Jazz Journalist Association’s award for one of the Best Emerging Stars In Jazz. Their rationale is definitely on target because on his debut for the new MaxJazz Horn Series titled CLOSE TO MY HEART, Pelt brings his trumpet and flugelhorn sensitivity to the forefront in a brilliant way. Playing such standards and ballads as “Weird Nightmare” written by Charles Mingus, “Exercent” by Pepper Adams, and a sensational solo effort on “Don’t You Know I Care” by Duke Ellington, the accomplished musician, composer, arranger, and producer realizes his goals with flair and style. Accompanied by such artists as Mulgrew Miller on piano, Lewis Nash on drums, Peter Washington on bass and a classic string section of violins, viola and cello, Jeremy Pelt expresses his love of emotional ballads and the jazz aesthetic with all the right voicings, registers and intonations. As an alumni of Berklee College of Music in Boston, Pelt is poised to rise among the ranks of young trumpeters that include such notables as Wynton Marsalis, Roy Hargrove, Terence Blanchard and Nicholas Payton. This is a sensational ballad album that will entice young lovers and veterans alike into Pelt’s heartfelt emanations. For the romantic heart, your best bets are “Don’t You Know I Care” and “It’s A Beautiful Evening.”