Courageous Hearts

What I first noticed on Courageous Hearts, Towner Galaher's second solo album, is his expanded horn section, which flames out from the opening and title track. On Panorama, his outstanding debut CD from 2007, Galaher relied on the assured duo of Mark Shim on tenor sax and Maurice Brown on trumpet. For Courageous Hearts, the drummer and band leader added the trombone: "When I started to write some new songs after completing Panorama," explains Galaher, "I started to hear the trombone in everything I was hearing. I love the sound of the trombone and also dug how fat things sounded with three horns."

The difference with the trombone is palpable, adding fullness and depth to Galaher's sound. But it was not just a trombone that Galaher added. It was the trombone of Fred Wesley, veteran of the Count Basie Orchestra, various Parliament-Funkadelic projects, and several James Brown bands, where for some he served as musical director, co-writing "Hot Pants," "Get on the Good Foot," and other tracks with the Godfather of Soul. Wesley takes several solos through the course of the album, including a memorable and understated solo on the album's second track, "Boogaloopbop," a hard bop tune driven by the piano of George Colligan, whose credits include Cassandra Wilson, Ravi Coltrane, Robin Eubanks, and the bass of Charles Fambrough, a returnee from Panorama who has performed with Art Blakey, McCoy Tyner, and Wynton Marsalis.

Rounding out the band are trumpeter Brian Lynch (Blakey, Eddie Palmieri, Phil Woods), tenor saxophonist Craig Handy (Blakey, Herbie Hancock, Elvin Jones), and, on occasional tracks, percussionists Gabriel Machado and Ze Maurico. I asked Galaher, a veteran himself who produced and arranged the album and composed seven of the nine tracks, if he was intimidated, nervous, or anxious about leading his stellar supporting cast, which was assembled with the help of longtime friend and mentor Mike Clark, best known for his work with Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters: "By all rights, I should have had any or all of those feelings but, surprisingly, I didn't. First of all, these guys are so down to earth; that helps a lot. In addition, I was really focused on the tunes and the project and didn't really make any room in my mind for that, and the vibe was really good and relaxed. I was really just having the time my life."

But the studio "vibe" begins with the session leader. Galaher, on both Courageous Hearts and Panorama, has a spacious and generous vision for his music which welcomes the self-expression of other musicians. This new album, like its aptly entitled predecessor, draws on several forms, including New York hard bop, funk, Afro-Cuban rhythms, samba, New Orleans second line, and blues. In "Second Line Samba," one of the highlights of the album, Galaher introduces Rio to New Orleans. This impressive tribute to the Crescent City marches and twists forward to an expansive drum sound which underscores the depth of the horns. Wesley begins the solos with what might be his finest performance on the CD, throwing down the gauntlet to Lynch and Handy, who follow with verve and wit. "Yes, the musicians certainly do challenge each other," says Galaher, "but in the most collaborative and positive manner. I love to take the music as high and as far as possible, and that is a top consideration in the musicians that I choose for recording and performances."

Galaher continues, "The atmosphere in the studio was super relaxed, totally professional and loads of fun, jokes, stories, and camaraderie. They were all extremely gracious towards me and, as is self-evident, poured their hearts out into the music." An especially playful moment attesting to this atmosphere comes at the close of "April 28th (Vivre Egale A Vous-Meme)" - a dramatic date for Galaher which marks his birthday, the date of the recording sessions for both his solo CDs, and the day recognized as the founding of Nichiren Buddhism, which Galaher has practiced for the past 23 years. As the song fades, I found myself straining to hear the horns in the blowout conclusion. "That was something really kind of magical. I knew I wanted to vamp out, but then my love of New Orleans music gave me the idea to do a very modern version of the group improvisation that was inherent in the formative days of jazz music. Right before we did the first take of the tune, the idea popped into my head and I made a causal remark to the horn section, asking them to do a New Orleans improvisation on the vamp out. However, I didn't think at the time that it was going to come out so stunningly and it's one of my favorite moments on the record. Hats off to the guys!" I only wish the track would have been extended.

In addition to his seven originals, Galaher and his band cover "Hot House" by Tadd Dameron, which features a deftly quick Colligan solo, and the riveting "Afro Blue," Mongo Santamaria's standard and a potent close to the album. It took a courageous heart to schedule the well-covered "Afro Blue" for the sessions, especially given the mesmerizing Coltrane version - and Galaher was apprehensive: "When I was formulating this project, I knew I wanted an intense Afro-Cuban 6/8 groove on there. I actually had a folkloric Afro-Peruvian piece in mind that I was going to jazzify. I wanted to do something that sounded like 'Afro Blue,' and it's always been an absolute favorite of mine. I also thought of writing something in this vein, but couldn't come up with anything. It wasn't 'till almost the last minute that I thought 'Hell, I should just do Afro Blue.'"

Galaher sought the "intensity" and "deeply spiritual vibe" of Coltrane's version without being imitative. "I wanted to take it back to the original rhythmic tradition that Mongo wrote the song with," he explained. "The next decision was not to have a sax solo and take it somewhere else. That's why I chose to start off with the trombone. The trumpet is an absolute must for the Afro-Cuban vibe, and then I wanted some of that McCoy Tyner voodoo on there, which George did and then some. It's the last thing that we recorded and the energy went right through the roof." The strong rhythmic underpinnings of Galaher, Fambrough's pumping bass, and guest percussionist Gabriel Machado bolster the solos and the brilliant brass charts - simultaneously defiant, anxious, and triumphant.

Both Panorama and Courageous Hearts are informed by a strong sense of tradition, music history, and place. On "Winter Sunrise" and "Londel's," for instance, Galaher draws on the blues to evoke mood and place. "Londel's," named for the Harlem club where Galaher has performed, bespeaks quiet, cool Harlem nights, and serves as a kind of companion piece to Galaher's version of Mingus's "Pork Pie Hat" on Panorama. "'Londel's' was created first and foremost out of my desire to play a real grinding and grooving slow blues," explains its composer. "Then, it took on a heavy tinge of Gospel. The melody was meant to be just dripping with blues feeling. On the bridge, I tried to expand things out harmonically." I asked about the Harlem club:"There is a uniquely warm and good feeling in Londel's, both with the decor and especially the people that run it and work there. As soon as I started writing that song, I knew I had to name it after that restaurant."

Courageous HearIt begs for a live performance, perhaps at Londel's. "I'm working on the gigs right now," says Galaher. "I am going to try my best to do some with most or all of the musicians featured on Courageous Hearts." All we can do is wait anxiously but contently. We do have Panorama and, now, its inspired follow-up.

townergalahermusic.com