Since winning the prestigious Thelonious Monk award in 2014 at age 27, Chicago trumpeter Marquis Hill has thrilled the jazz faithful while positioning his music in the wider traditions of R&B and hip-hop – the music he grew up with. His previous album, 2022’s New Gospel Revisited, was a live tour de force that showcased his post-bop stylings with a high-energy band.
Rituals + Routines is a different animal, a 24-minute look at daily life inviting us to “establish meaningful rituals” – in other words, to practise mindfulness. Each of its eight tracks comes with cosmic thoughts – “When we breathe in that is God coming within us,” Hill advises on Breathe – while the music unfurls in a series of highly charged atmospheres. Stretch (The Body) is taken at a lively canter, showcasing some mesmeric vibraphone from Joel Ross, a frequent accompanist, while Cleanse (The Waters) is slow, with Hill’s trumpet and Braxton Cook’s alto sax wrestling excitedly together. Peace (Be Still) has a spoken-word piece from vocalist G Thomas Allen sunk beneath an ethereal drone, while Break (Fuel) is dense and discordant. Bristling with ideas and a playful edge (“toys” are among its listed instruments), it confirms its creator as a challenging leading man.
