By Jim Hynes, Making A Scene
Pianist Mike Bonds is making his debut as a leader with The Honorable Ones, and it’s a quite impressive one. Joined by NYC-based first callers, the core quintet has acclaimed reed man Steve Wilson on alto and soprano, rising trumpet star Josh Evans, renowned bassist and bandleader Ben Wolfe, and ascending drummer Anwar Marshall. The quintet is augments by three special guests including beatbox vocalist Gene Shinozaki, multi-Grammy nominee singer Claudia Acuna and vocalist Maya Holiday. Bond composed ten of the twelve selections, organized as a story, by chapters. Read the full review here.