Reginald Chapman - Accretion (2023) Hi Res

Trail-blazing brass musician, composer, and arranger, Reginald Chapman reaches for that proverbial “next level” on his sophomore LP, ‘Accretion’ – releasing June 9th on Fresh Selects.

Currently based in Brooklyn, NY (by way of Richmond, Virginia and Champaign, Illinois), where he holds down multiple live residencies throughout the borough – but on record, Chapman traverses a much wider landscape, thriving at his best when residing at the three-point intersection of preserving the classics, embracing the now, and breaking new ground towards the future.

Certified with a Doctorate in Jazz, with a cognate in Modern Classical Composition and a Bachelor’s in Classical Music Performance, Dr. Reginald Chapman Jr. takes his studied technical dexterity, and filters it through his personal affinity for Hip-Hop beat tapes and experimental Electronic music, utilizing a blend of both to forge a signature sound that’s all his own. It has been that unpretentious, yet outstanding quality to his work that has made Chapman an increasingly beloved “musician’s musician,” with a loyal following of respected peers, refined jazz appreciators, and beat-heads alike.

Living somewhat of a dual identity between being a leading soloist and a session player journeyman, Reginald has made it a point in his solo work to exceed the perceived limited role of brass players in modern music – bringing his weapons of choice (a custom-built bass trombone and bass trumpet) out from the backing band shadows to instead take center stage in his original compositions, allowing for the low brass to lead pieces melodically and take their own adventurous solos, rather than be typecast as a song’s mere rhythmic flourish.

Joining Reggie on this latest excursion is the return of some key supporting cast from his critically acclaimed debut, ‘Prototype’ (named one of Downbeat Magazine’s “Top Rated Albums of 2018”), with Stones Throw solo act DJ Harrison co-piloting the album in numerous roles (serving at different times as drummer, keyboardist, recording and mixing engineer). Keeping in the communal spirit of his heralded Jellowstone Studios and the vibrant Richmond jazz scene at large, Harrison also brings along his Butcher Brown compatriots, Marcus “Tennishu” Tenney (on tenor sax and trumpet), Andrew Randazzo (bass), and Corey Fonville (drums). Newly added to the fold this time around are co-starring appearances from L.A. psych-rock duo, Foxygen (of which Reginald had previously backed on both their own records and as a touring member) who help lead the charge on the hair-raising and soul-clenching Rhythm & Blues / Gospel swelter, “There Is This Thing,” and RVA jazz vocalist Kenneka Cook, who fronts the bandstand with high-style and grace for Chapman’s new arrangement of the Duke Ellington classic, “I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good).”

Having set a new high-bar precedent for modern brass with ‘Prototype’ in 2018, but wanting to taking things even further still – the term Accretion (“the process of growth or increase, typically by the gradual accumulation of additional layers or matter”) became the North Star guiding mantra of this sophomore effort. Built upon the foundation of its 2018 predecessor (‘Prototype’’s new arrangements of the standards “You Go To My Head” and “We Shall Overcome” are reflected on ‘Accretion’ in the form of a new take on pioneering trombonist J.J. Johnson’s beautiful tonal ballad, “Lament,” and a revitalized approach to Sir Duke’s aforementioned “I Got It Bad”) – the sophomore effort further reinforces that foundation before building new stories on top of it. Formatted as a double album, and paced as a three-act experience, the album is series of explosive launching points and dynamic new highs, each carefully crafted to eventually self-deconstruct, only to rebuild things back up again, working its way forward from shorter and punchier material early on, then re-building momentum from scratch on a pair of expansive new live recordings on the second disc: the hypnotically cool groove of the title track, and the reflective melancholy LP closer “A Day Without You” – both clocking in at over 8 minutes each and bold-face daring you not to hit repeat as soon as either of them end, just itching to re-enter the dimension that each piece creates for itself, like waking up from a dream.

Joyfully experimenting with new techniques, Chapman channeled a producer’s mindset for much of the album’s earliest starting points – with many of the original pieces starting out with Reg playing live trombone over raw loops and grooves that he’d program on his trusty Roland SP-404. Later returning to those demos, now in composer/arranger mode, Reg would one-by-one assemble his orchestra of trusted peers to re-play and flesh-out the sparse beat machine ideas – meticulously world-building the album’s refreshing atmosphere, layer by layer, locking in on an infectious groove or ear-worming melody, then carefully feeding in new fine details and adventurous solos throughout. The result is something that winks, nods, and shows off to the more learned music theorists in attendance (with “Hearing Is Seeing,” for example, being an exercise in serial tonal structures that were written to be visually appealing from a graphic design standpoint when transcribed) while never losing step with those of us just hear for the head nods and hum-along, feel good vibes of it all. An achievement in complex explorations kept melodically satisfying, and in renewing the fundamentally-sound roots of some of music’s oldest traditions while still brazenly breaking new ground for the next generations to further explore.