Reggie Quinerly: New York Nowhere

Reggie Quinerly’s fourth recording as a leader is a heartfelt tribute to New York City, where the drummer/composer/educator spent 21 years before relocating to Los Angeles in late 2020. Joined by tenor saxophonist John Ellis, trumpeter Antoine Drye, pianist John Chin, and bassist Sean Conly, Quinerly performs seven originals that pay tribute to NYC while reflecting the vibrancy and color of the city. The band has a great chemistry; Ellis and Drye, who have worked together for about 30 years, have a nice trumpet-tenor sound, and Chin and Conly provide solid support. The opening track, “Reflections on the Hudson,” is a hard-swinging excursion that begins the album on a high note; in fact, it may be the best cut on the album. “Dreaming in Place” is an evocative and beautiful ballad. “Somewhere on Houston” (the lower Manhattan street, pronounced “Hows-ton”) is another hard swinger, and there are two versions of “New York Nights,” the first played uptempo while the second has more of a samba feel. If you’re searching for new jazz where the compositions feature rich harmonies and strong melodic content and where the soloists get down to business, New York Nowhere is the place to go.

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