Anthem - CD

If such an award were given to a first-time leader in the jazz league, trumpeter Christian Scott would have hands-down scored Rookie of the Year honors for his superb Grammy nominated debut, Rewind That. A year older and a year wiser, the 24-year-old Scott returns with his remarkable sophomore disc for Concord, Anthem. It's a powerful collection of 12 pieces teeming with jazz, indie rock, neo-soul and hip-hop sensibilities. While the tunes are partially informed by the New Orleans native's ruminations on the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Katrina, Scott hastens to note that Anthem also reflects the many changes he's gone through in the past year, ranging from his romantic life to his maturation as an artist. 'My life changed completely,' he says. 'So, the compositions on Anthem aren't just about one thing. They're about all kinds of things, while they definitely have some political undertones. But, one thing is certain. The house I grew up in is gone. There's no home in the Ninth Ward.'Like Rewind That, Anthem doesn't adhere to the swing-and-blues rules of straight-ahead jazz. As he told DownBeat last year, 'Ninety-nine percent of the time, [jazz] musicians come out swinging. But why bother? It's not that I can't swing. I can, and I love it, but what I'm doing does not have to sound like what other people want me to sound like.' On Anthem, Marcus Gilmore's drums often connect with a neo-soul, hip-hop groove; pianist Aaron Parks, who also mans a Fender Rhodes and synths, and electric guitarist Matt Stevens play with rock music in their veins; and the funky finale track, 'Anthem (Post Diluvial Adaptation,' features the rapping of X-Clan's Brother J and righteous-anger trumpeting by the leader.