The Mosaic Project

Terri Lynne Carrington has played with Herbie Hancock, was the regular drummer on the Arsenio Hall Show, and has recorded a number of solo albums. 2011’s *The Mosaic Project* comes with a concept: all the vocalists and instrumentalists on this fine outing are women, and the lyrics often celebrate female solidarity and empowerment. Despite the fact that many of the musicians here guest on only one or two tracks, this album indeed feels like an album, and not just a compilation of tracks. “Transformation,” which sports one of Carrington’s excellent arrangements, features the sassy singing of Nona Hendryx, while a version of Irving Berlin’s “I Got Lost in His Arms” spotlights the luscious vocals of Gretchen Parlato. “Wistful,” one of five Carrington originals, evokes the mysterious atmospherics of early Weather Report. The always fired-up bassist and vocalist Esperanza Spaulding guests on “Crayola,” a track brimming with perkiness. An ethereal Carmen Lundy performs her own “Show Me a Sign,” and the album closes with “Sisters On the Rise (A Transformation),” which finds MC Shea Rose on the mic.

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This star-packed session from drummer Terri Lyne Carrington has a unifying historical and social agenda – but it's discreet, writes <strong>John Fordham</strong>