Tia penned ten of the thirteen tracks and carefully selected a few standards to celebrate the “angels” in her life – family and friends. Her compositions range from the celebratory “Royston Rumble” (honoring the nearly 20-year marriage of Shamie and Rudy) and the drum-driven beat and soprano sax antics of “Ralphie’s Groove” (inspired by early employer Ralph Peterson) to the glorious title tune inspired by Carrington, Fuller’s model of the “angelic warrior”; Carrington appears on this track, providing a militaristic beat to counter Tia’s heaven-high soprano—yet Fuller also serves up a hefty helping of the warrior spirit as the track evolves. “Lil ‘Les” was written as a “toy playing theme” for a friend’s yet-unborn child, Tia delicately floating above the electrified guitar-like lines of Patitucci; Shamie Royston’s touch is clean, lyrical and swinging.

Tia wrote the rhythmically engaging  “Descend to Barbados” on a flight to that island nation, dedicated to bassist Mimi Jones whose parents are Barbadian. The combination of two percussionists and two bassists infuses considerable tropical energy.

 

The soulful funk-informed “Tailor-Made” was written for a friend who loved 70s R&B, further influenced by Esperanza Spalding’s “Winter Sun.” It’s hard to remember Patitucci is not playing guitar here, and Shamie Royston’s Rhodes, with Rudy’s back-beating drums, further create a danceable, R&B groove that Beyoncé would surely love. “Core of Me” is a short (2 ½ minutes) ballad with the home team foursome, highlighting Tia’s melodic and reverent side, while “Simpli-City,” with the same quartet, contrasts relaxed melody and more frenetic exploration.

 

Of the standards, both “Body and Soul”  and “Cherokee” arguably have been covered to death, but the addition of Reeves’ vocals gives B&S a new sound, more prayerful; Tia comes in after a full run through the lyric, weaving in and out of Reeves’ vocalese with a slightly funky slant; the final verse is a glorious collaboration of the two “voices.” There’s a decidedly African undercurrent to “Cherokee” as Carrington and Rudy Royston go full tilt from stop to finish, while Tia nods to Charlie Parker in spirit but cranks up the heat to burn her own brand with authority. The drummers shine in a very different light on “So in Love With All of You,” Tia’s merging of two Cole Porter tunes (“So In Love”/ “All of You”), which also features the one (magnificent) acoustic contribution from Patitucci. The arrangement of soprano sax with just bass and percussion puts a fresh emphasis on the melody while providing a Monkish rhythm.

 

Tia’s very brief mid-point “breather” and finale, her two parts of “Ode to Be,” reference employer/mentor Beyoncé as well as “just being.” Bass and drums stay in the background, as Tia and Shamie create a beautiful hymn, part one fading out, part two fading in to complete the brief cycle, ending the recording on angelic notes. And by this point, the listener is fully aware that this “angel” is indeed a jazz warrior, fully armed not only with her instruments, but with her “weapons” of composing, arranging, conceptualizing, and bandleading, and with cohorts who are quite formidable in their own right. Surely this is Tia Fuller’s strongest statement to date, and one of the strongest statements of any jazz artist in 2012.