There is no doubt that Gollehon is one of the most in-demand trumpet players around, having played on more than 200 gold and platinum releases and worked with artists like David Bowie, Blondie, Onyx, Madonna, Billy Ocean, Hall & Oates, Chaka Khan, Buddy Rich, Arrow, Al Jarreau, Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards, Arif Mardin, Kashif, Russ Tittelman, Arthur Baker, David Chapman, Mick Jagger, Grace Jones, Blood Ulmer, Ric Ocasek, Rod Stewart, Hector Lavoe, Mighty Sparrow, Duran Duran and Lestor Bowie. He has also played onstage with many of these, including at Live Aid, and somehow has found time to release 10 solo albums as well.
I really enjoyed 2023’s ‘Bite of the Street’, so when this arrived, I knew I was in for a treat, and I was not disappointed. Here Mac provides trumpet, trombone, tuba, keys, guitar, and vocal deliveries and he is joined by percussionists Anthony Carrillo and Cuban ballet/dance and percussion master Elvis Ferrara, with additional drums and bass provided by Greg Meisenberg (A Fucking Elephant, Dead Register), and synth/noise/fx from David Brenner (Gridfailure, Diminishing). Although his music is very different indeed, a lot of percussion, electronics and dance, I often find myself thinking of the great Miles Davis as there is no doubt that Mac is a kindred spirit in the way he takes his trumpet and turns it into a living breathing entity where no note is ever truly right or truly wrong, it is all about what follows which provides the context.
The result is an incredibly experimental album which, to be honest, has way too much dance beats and styles for me to enjoy yet somehow, I find this incredibly compelling as when it all comes together, even with repetition in the melody, it all works seamlessly. It is very far removed indeed from his day job, I can see why the press release states this is for fans not only of Davis but also of Frank Zappa, Flying Lotus, Ut Gret, Allan Holdsworth, Robert Fripp, Billy Cobham while the genres are Avant Jazz, World Fusion, Latin, Jazz, Experimental, Electronic and Dance. In many ways this is true progressive music as there is a refusal to believe there are boundaries and instead there is an innate desire to see how far everything can be pushed while the music somehow still maintains a mainstream sensibility. It certainly will not be for everyone, but yet again I find Mac has made a very powerful statement indeed and I look forward to seeing what he does next.
Rating: 8/10