The Unity

On Adonis Rose's second recording as a leader, the New Orleans-based drummer performs with the same musicians on his first recording, his bandmates in the Nicholas Payton Quintet. This time Rose, Payton, tenor saxophonist Tim Warfield, pianist Anthony Wonsey, and bassist Reuben Rogers perform three Rose originals, one by Wonsey, two by Wayne Shorter, and one standard. As one would expect from a working band, the music is well-played, covering a variety of styles and tempos within the post-bop idiom, with Rose staying mostly in the background, with one notable exception being his explosive drum solo on the angular, up-tempo "Tonk," written by Rose for his younger brother. Other favorites include the hard-hitting free bop of Shorter's "Dolores," and two beautiful ballads, the title track and "I Remember You," a feature for Payton's trumpet. The recording ends with Wonsey's funky "Smooth Jazz," which owes more to '60s Blue Note than to that radio-friendly music genre. This is a very good step forward in this musician's development.