REVIEW: Donald Malloy’s Spirituality

Donald Malloy plays the trumpet like the fine artist he is and should be, and with Spirituality (self-released) he creates a journey all his own by not only exploring his own spirituality, but perhaps spirituality as a whole.

The music is not heasy as John Coltrane‘s A Love Supreme tends to be, but what you hear is someone going on his own journey to explore what he’s about and his own ethnic roots. Malloy goes back and forth between the trumpet and the flugelhorn playing in a way that you know you can trust him to take you on his journey. It’s intense but not over the time, and some of it could easily find a home on ECM. With a band that includes Rody Royston (drums), Tom DiCarlo (bass), Shamie Royston (piano), Tia Fuller (saxophones and flute), and Seth Johnson (guitar), they are equipped to take on the challenges of these songs, then to coat and soothe for maximum relief.

Prepare to be moved if you wish to be.