Jason Palmer - Take A Little Trip (SteepleChase 2012)

"Trumpeter Jason Palmer pays homage to legendary soul singer Minnie Riperton on 2012's Take a Little Trip. Riperton, who died from breast cancer in 1979, was a highly gifted vocalist and cancer awareness spokesperson whose 1974 album Perfect Angel, produced by Stevie Wonder, is a classic of the decade. Riperton's music often incorporated jazz sounds and even featured such crossover jazz artists as flutist Hubert Laws, keyboardist Joe Sample, and pianist Ramsey Lewis. Consequently, her music is deep with harmonic and melodic material for an artist like Palmer to explore. Here, he reworks a handful of Riperton's songs, including such classics as "Lovin' You" and "I'm a Woman," into expansive yet intimate jazz numbers that both celebrate the source material and deconstruct it. Joining Palmer are guitarist Greg Duncan, pianist/Rhodes keyboardist Jake Sherman, bassist Edward Perez, and drummer Lee Fish. While the songs here are not "cover versions" by any means, Palmer does take care to evince how Riperton, with her unique five-octave range, sang them. For example, Palmer even plays Riperton's trademark falsetto fall at the end of the melody line of "Lovin' You." Of course, he does so in his own way, bringing out his burnished, gentle tone and measured phrasing. " - by Matt Collar allmusic.com
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