Marshall Gilkes - Lost Words (2008)

One of the more refreshing jolts of 2004 was Edenderry, a debut album by a young trombonist named Marshall Gilkes (pronounced “jilks”). Not everyone can carry off a session with trombone as the sole horn. Gilkes’ eloquence and technical command, however, were apparent from Edenderry’s first notes. Pianist Jon Cowherd, bassist Matt Clohesy and drummer Johnathan Blake brought to the date an ideal mix of burning swing and sensitivity. By the album’s end it was clear that Gilkes was not only a strong player, but also an imaginative composer, with a fineear for mood, melody, texture and flow. Not surprisingly, the Brooklyn-based Gilkes has been scooped up by a wide variety of acclaimed bands, including veteran drummer Billy Cobham’s group, harpist Edmar Castaneda’s compact trio and two very different large ensembles: David Berger’s Sultans of Swing and the Grammy-winning Maria Schneider Orchestra. In the course of all this work, Gilkes has formed solid bonds with New York’s very best players, including the ones we hear on his second release, Lost Words. Cowherd, a mainstay of the Brian Blade Fellowship and a beautiful composer in his own right, remains in the piano chair. Trumpeter Michael Rodriguez, with credits including Charlie Haden and Gonzalo Rubalcaba, happened to appear alongside Gilkes in the small brass choir that graced Ryan Keberle’s Double Quartet CD (released by the Alternate Side label in 2007).