Jared Gold’s fourth album as leader, All Wrapped Up, finds fresh faces joining the organist as he releases his first recording without a guitarist. This is also Gold’s first all-originals album—although he shares the writing credits with his band mates, who each contribute a tune. The new lineup and new tunes ensure that this album, and Gold’s playing, sounds bright and upbeat from the off.
All Wrapped Up is Gold’s follow-up to 2010’s relaxed, almost laidback Out Of Line (Posi-Tone). It’s a much more muscular collection, with its roots in hard bop and its front line of trumpeter Jim Rotondi and tenorist Ralph Bowen both favoring an attacking, energetic, style of playing that Gold and drummer Quincy Davis are happy to match. Indeed, Gold seems less inhibited than on his previous outings, the result perhaps of his increasing confidence as a player as well as the influence of his new partners.
The combination of Rotondi and Bowen gives the music a real spark and intensity. Bowen delivers a nicely languid solo on Gold’s “Saudades,” but for most of the time the horn duo is up for something a bit more lively. The quartet lets loose from track one, “My Sentiments Exactly” moving along with a terrific energy as all four players drive ahead. “Get Out Of My Sandbox” is a little more relaxed, but Rotondi and Bowen have such a rich sound that they seem like an entire horn section.
Davis’ “Piece of Mine” is a mid-tempo swinger marked by one of Rotondi’s best solos, while Bowen’s “Midnight Snack” is underpinned by Gold’s slinky groove. But overall it’s Gold whose compositions have the edge, and make best use of his Hammond sound.
