Devotion

If someone played you saxophonist Muriel Grossmanns 2023 album Devotion and said it was a lesser-known organ and psych-soul-jazz album from the late 60s, you might just believe them. Its an evocative vibe the European instrumentalist has been perfecting for over a decade and which she brings to new levels here. The album, which marks her debut for Jack Whites Third Man Records, essentially finds her splitting the difference between 2018s Coltrane-inspired Golden Rule and the organ-soaked approach of 2019s Reverence. Helping her achieve this spiritual combination is her longtime quartet with guitarist Radomir Milojkovic, Hammond B-3 organist Abel Boquera, and drummer Uros Stamenkovic. Grossmann also displays her versatility, playing, at various times, flute, the stringed kalimba, harmonium, and sundry percussion instruments throughout the album. Together, she and her band conjure an earthy, spice-filled atmosphere that brings to mind the classic sound of albums by Grant Green, Charles Earland, and Dr. Lonnie Smith. With her big, full-throated tone and spiraling riffs, Grossmann also often recalls the style of Argentine saxophonist Gato Barbieri. Songs like the opening "Absolute Truth" and the title track have a funky, globally inspired sound that mixes swinging modal jazz with Latin- and Afro-Cuban-sounding rhythms. Equally engaging are cuts like "Calm," with its slow groove and twangy guitar, and the hard-driving "All Heart," both of which sound impossibly like John Coltrane playing with Malian desert blues outfit Tinariwen. ~ Matt Collar