Purity
DaveInAZ | Choking on dust | 07/16/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"According to his official bio, James Ackley, currently Professor of Trumpet at the University of South Carolina School of Music, "has received international acclaim as a trumpet solo artist performing with numerous orchestras, wind ensembles and chamber groups throughout the United States of America, México, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Germany, Italy, and France. Ackley has also frequently performed as a recitalist throughout North and South America and Europe. Venezuelan critics hailed James as 'one of the best trumpet players in the world.'"
I don't claim to be enough of an authority to make such a judgement, but I certainly wouldn't dispute it. As a trumpet/flugelhorn player myself, I'm always on the lookout for new artists to add to my listening collection. I stumbled across James Ackley's Lirico Latino purely by chance, and I'm so glad I did. My trumpet teacher was always urging me to work to produce a "full, round tone". He would love Ackley's playing as much as I do.
When I was trying to think of what to say about this recording, the word "pure" kept coming back to mind. Ackley's tone on this album is beautifully pure, soft, full and round. It's just gorgeous, whether he's playing the trumpet, flugel or, possibly although it's not listed, the cornet. It's also perfectly suited to the material covered here.
Both the songs and his playing are, indeed, lyrical; "Having a pleasing succession of sounds; melodious". The songs here, some obscure, some extremely familiar, are purely about tune. If you're seeking fireworks or screaming treble-C's, seek elsewhere. This album is all about beauty and grace, and Ackley's extensive experience in Central and South America serves him (and us) well, in presenting these songs.
The recording sound is excellent, the arrangements appropriately uncluttered (or "pure", again), and the accompanists mostly excellent. One annoyance is that one of the pianists, who also served as a producer, listed herself first among the artists in the file properties, with the result that at least some players will display her name as the primary artist. Very uncool.
In terms of comparisons, the artist Ackley most reminds me of is Rafael Mendez, but Professor Ackley's tone, while just as pure, is softer. Not as fuzzy as Chris Botti's, and not as "honeyed" as Al Hirt's, but somewhere in the soundspace where the three converge. His phrasing is elegant and clean (pure, again?) and musical, and utterly enjoyable.
He has another album, called "Recital Music for Trumpet", but Amazon doesn't seem to carry that one. Google it to find the publisher, and you can hear some substantial clips on their site. The pieces on that recording, as you might expect, are more technically demanding, being essentially "show off" pieces, but still demonstrate great tonality.
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Track Listings (14) - Disc #1