Irvin Mayfield

by Richard S. GinellThough the booklet for Irvin Mayfield's debut CD as a leader proclaims "The Anatomy of a Revolutionary," the young trumpeter sounds very much like a follower here, another in the never-ending parade of neo-boppers from New Orleans. Mayfield sports a lightweight, brilliantly articulated tone, no doubt capable of every imaginable technical feat, but he remains a captive of influences like Lee Morgan, Wynton Marsalis and Miles Davis (interestingly, he sounds more like Lee on "The Great M.D." than Miles). The most energetic cut, "Immaculate Conception," skitters around in post-bop energy, though all we hear are rapid, uncoalesced notes from Mayfield. The by-now-seasoned Donald Harrison displays a more developed sense of how to shape a phrase on alto sax; Peter Martin contributes standard post-bop piano. Rueben Rogers on bass and Adonis Rose on drums make up the accomplished hard/post-bop rhythm section on most of the album while Victor Atkins (piano), Jaz Sawyer and Troy Davis (drums), and David Pulphus (bass) can be heard in various combinations elsewhere. Also, patriarch Ellis Marsalis lays his anointing hands upon Mayfield in a respectful piano-trumpet duet on "Body and Soul"; the inexperience of youth leads to a passage where Mayfield nearly gets stuck. Mayfield might turn into a revolutionary yet, but not as of 1999.