Hermon Mehari fully realizes his enormous potential on the unconventional Conversation #1: Condensed. The magnificent collaboration between Mehari, Brazilian guitarist Nelson Veras and Swiss drummer Florian Arbenz is the trumpeter’s most consistently impressive outing.
Beginning with the 2009 debut album of his Kansas City band Diverse, Mehari’s extensive discography is sprinkled with glimmers of greatness. His superlative performance on Conversation #1: Condensed should elevate Mehari into the top tier of living jazz trumpeters.
The playful adventurousness and generous spirit of his partners allows Mehari to shine. While Arbenz is the leader of the date, Mehari sounds like the first among equals. His maturation is showcased in his elegant composition "Let's Try This Again". The old-school bop of “Race Face” finds him squarely in his wheelhouse.
Yet Conversation #1: Condensed (the first of twelve albums Arbenz intends to release in 2021) is far from commonplace. In spite of his nationality, Veras plays with the unorthodox approach associated with the Benin-born guitarist Lionel Loueke. Nor will Arbenz be mistaken for a traditionalist. The title of the speculative “Vibing with Morton” is almost certainly a reference to the avant-garde classical composer Morton Feldman.
The album closes with an invigorating interpretation of Miles Davis’ “Freedom Jazz Dance.” Mehari summons the essence of the jazz giant even as he explores new terrain. Davis subtitled his composition “Evolution of the Groove.” The sentiment is precisely what Mehari, Arbenz and Veras achieve with their forward-thinking- and reputation-making- work on Conversation #1: Condensed.