Hermon Mehari is on a roll. A week after thrilling a rapturous crowd at a homecoming concert at the Folly Theater on February 18, the trumpeter and three of his fellow European collaborators released the extraordinary No(w) Beauty.
The album might be even better than Asmara, the artistic breakthrough Mehari released in 2022. No(w) Beauty is distinguished by a friendly tussle between pianist Enzo Carniel and the tandem of bassist Damien Varaillon and drummer Stéphane Adsuar.
Carniel repeatedly pulls the quartet toward the center as Varaillon and Adsuar tug outward. The competitive interplay opens an accommodating space for Mehari’s slightly unconventional sensibility.
Martial rhythms and Mehari’s feathery tone occasionally evoke Sketches of Spain, Miles Davis’ landmark 1960 collaboration with Gil Evans. Yet with bits of electronica and sonic experimentation, No(w) Beauty’s is entirely in keeping with the European jazz of today.
Yet many of Mehari’s longtime fans in Kansas City will focus on a straightforward reading of "For All We Know". Mehari’s heart-melting statement on the ballad verifies his growing international reputation as an elite musician.