Trumpeter Irvin Mayfield, 21, steps out on his own for the first time bringing some of the cream of the New Orleans jazz crop along for the ride. It’s a spin that introduces Mayfield not only as a modern jazz trumpeter with the ability to burn, but also as a fine composer. He definitely turns it on on “Immaculate Conception,” driven by drummer Troy Davis. It doesn’t hurt to have alto saxophonist Donald Harrison, Jr. interpreting your music, and on this tune he brings the mood soulfully down only to launch it once again. The album naturally offers other elements of Mayfield’s musical persona such as the beauty he can invoke with the horn as he duos with Ellis Marsalis on “Body and Soul.” Those with their (sometimes cynical) eyes on New Orleans jazzers may find Mayfield showy at times, and it’s true he does like to strut his stuff, as heard on the opener “The Great M.D.” As the album closes with his “Ninth Ward Blues,” complete with some fine soloing by pianist Victor Atkins, however it is Mayfield’s generous and swinging attitude that has helped make the ride memorable.
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