Color Theory Josh Lawrence

• 1 Yellow 01:02
• 2 Presence 05:19
• 3 The Ripoff 05:33
• 4 Red! 05:18
• 5 The Conceptualizer 05:27
• 6 Green 05:18
• 7 Black 07:05
• 8 An Uptown Romance 04:30
• 9 Purple (4 Prince) 07:45
• 10 Blue 05:32
• 11 On the Yangtze 04:31
• Total Runtime 57:20

Info for Color Theory

Lawrence's new leader record Color Theory showcases his original compositions and is meant to be reflections of the entire color spectrum. The musical program covers several hues and shades with an exciting and evocative presentation of Lawrence's amazing new original compositions. The album features saxophonist Caleb Curtis, pianists Orrin Evans & Adam Faulk, bassist Madison Rast, and drummer Anwar Marshall.

"Either way, it stands in stark contrast to the follow-up “Presence,” a bruising hard-bopper that features stellar interplay between Lawrence and his frontline partner, saxophonist Caleb Curtis. “RED!” comes close to matching that intensity, courtesy of some explosive drumming by Anwar Marshall and a brilliantly sculpted solo by pianist Orrin Evans, with whom Lawrence plays in the Captain Black Orchestra. “Green” and “Blue” dial the intensity down into the mellow zone, with keyboardist Adam Faulk contributing a fuzzy Rhodes sound, while “Black” and “Purple (4 Prince)” inhabit deeper, smokier vibes. Equally slow-burning are “The Ripoff” and “The Conceptualizer,” which layer silky trumpet-sax harmonies over mounds of punchy bass. Closer “On The Yangtze” brings the album full circle, its sparse arrangement allowing plenty of room for listeners to color in their own emotions." (Brian Zimmerman, downbeat.com)

"Josh Lawrence is too much of a balladeer to dwell on despair and melancholia. This becomes eminently clear in the translucent beauty of “An Uptown Romance”, a gorgeous song where Lawrence’s trumpet makes great balletic leaps and pirouettes. His musical gymnastics is shared by the rest of the exquisite ensemble as they apply just the right amount of heat to the colours so they melt, one into the other, linked by abstractions such as “Presence” and subterfuge on “The Ripoff”, then narratives such as “The Conceptualizer” (is it Prince?), although I can hardly find a better one – musically – than Josh Lawrence, who brings everything back together “On The Yangtze” – the great “Yellow River”, a marvellously metaphor for this memorable album." (Raul da Gama, worldmusicreport.com)

Josh Lawrence, trumpet
Caleb Curtis, saxophone
Brent White, trombone
Orrin Evans, piano
Adam Faulk, Fender Rhodes
Madison Rast, bass
Anwar Marshall, drums

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