Rahsaan Barber, a master of multiple saxophones, has excelled in many ways for decades. He shines as a band member and a leader. He’s produced records and founded the label Jazz Music City, and he’s an accomplished educator with master’s and doctorate degrees who is currently an assistant professor in the music department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. But he’s still first and foremost a stalwart soloist and bandleader, skills he displays prominently on his double LP Mosaic. The record is also a showcase for his compositional skills, with 15 originals performed by a frontline that features his brother Roland Barber on trombone, trumpeter Nathan Warner, pianist Matt Endahl, bassist Jack Aylor and drummer Derrek Phillips. Though the mood and approach are predominantly straight-ahead, the playing is vigorous, fresh and assertive, as well as contemporary in tone, standing tall alongside any jazz release cut in New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia or Detroit. Besides being another reminder of how much high-caliber improvisational talent resides in Nashville, it’s the latest chapter in the legacy of both Barber brothers.
Best Jazz Album
Rahsaan Barber, Mosaic
Livestream screencap: Rahsaan Barber performs for Nashville Jazz Workshop
