I can name no better trumpeter in the modem jazz mainstream than Brian Lynch. (There, I’ve said it.) Who? (There. You’ve said it.) A veteran of the classic hard-bop classrooms directed by Horace Silver and Art Blakey, Lynch is a true successor to the trumpet tradition established by fellow Blakey alumni Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard–brash, instinctive–with lessons in logic learned at the feet of Woody Shaw. His 1991 CD, In Process (Ken Music), was one of the year’s best, and individual solos from earlier recordings still stand out years later: a surprisingly refreshing “I Can’t Get Started,” from a mid-80s Mark Murphy LP; “Raincheck,” a small gem on Blakey’s penultimate recording date; a wide-screen narrative on his own tune “One for Mogie,” from a Dutch import called Back Room Blues. Stiff in his 30s, Lynch knows to trust where his improvisations lead and has developed the structural complexity to support those voyages. In other words, his maturity shows–subtly shading the pure forcefulness of his playing. Tonight, Bop Shop, 1807 W. Division; 235-3232. Lynch also appears as part of the Phil Woods Quintet, Tuesday through next Sunday, March 22, Joe Segal’s Jazz Showcase, Blackstone Hotel, 636 S. Michigan; 427-4846.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Hal Oringer.