Review: Isaiah J. Thompson’s ‘The Book of Isaiah: Modern Jazz Ministry’

My review of emerging piano great Isaiah J. Thompson’s Power of the Spirit (Blue Engine, 2023) ended thusly: “a must-have for enthusiasts of straight-ahead, blood-pumping soul-jazz, 21st-century style. Thompson will be a force to be reckoned with well into the foreseeable future.” While there is still plenty of soul-jazz present in The Book of Isaiah: Modern Jazz Ministry (Mack Avenue, 2025), as the title directly indicates, Thompson has taken a major turn toward spirituality, invoking works of jazz divinity by Mary Lou Williams, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, and heck, why not put Pharaoh Sanders in this grouping. The entire album is an eight-movement suite, a result of digging deep into the writings of his namesake, the Bible’s Book of Isaiah. He went so far as to pursue his spiritual education in a seminary after intense hours of independent study.  His wife is a ministry director and noted worship singer with several generations of ministry in her family, so between that and his name, the move could be deemed natural.

Thompson, like Aaron Diehl, Sullivan Fortner, and Emmett Cohen before him, is a recipient of the prestigious American Piano Award. He has also worked with Wynton Marsalis, the JLCO, and Christian McBride. And he is a member of John Pizzarelli’s trio. He has two degrees from Juilliard. But despite such an impressive career, he still felt something was missing in his life. A dedicated pianist beyond reason, he spent so much time practicing that he put his career at risk by developing tendonitis in both arms. Yet, he applied that same level of diligence to his rehabilitation, as you hear in this passionate work. 

For The Book of Isaiah, Thompson tapped the frequent collaborators in his quartet: tenorist Julian Lee, bassist Marty Jaffe, and drummer Miguel Russell. Pianist Cyrus Chestnut co-produced the project, although it is Thompson on piano throughout. Drummer great Herlin Riley contributes tambourine and vocals on select tracks, and vocalist Vuyo Sotashe sings on three. As expected, Thompson’s wife, Kaitlin Obien-Thompson, adds vocals on the closing track, “The Prophet.”

The hard-swinging opener, “The Cakewalk Dilemma,” sounds like an extension of the Power of the Spirit with spirited turns from Thompson, Jaffe, and Lee. The spiritual side first appears in “The Highest Calling (Ase, Yahweh),” the first of three with Sotashe on lead vocal, this time with five background vocalists, including Thompson’s full quartet and Riley. This one, too, has a soul-jazz instrumental rhythm and motif underneath, but the vocal and chanting backgrounds give it a church-like sheen. Lee, who is brilliant throughout the album, launches a fervent solo following Thompson’s percussive piano turn before the ensemble reprises the theme instrumentally, with the vocalists finally returning to take it out. “Spring Flower, Spring Flower” is a reflective piano trio piece with Thompson’s inherent swing over Jaffe’s walking bassline and Russell’s gentle, in-the-pocket kit work. 

“In the Temple (Spiritual Warfare)” puts us somewhere between Cannonball’s soul-jazz and Trane’s spiritual yearnings. It serves as a major feature for the inspired and vigorous Lee, with Thompson pounding the keys with blissful fervor. Sotashe returns for the uplifting Negro spiritual-like flow of “The Feeling of Freedom,” powered by great rhythm work from Thompson, Jaffe, and Russell, as well as Lee’s economical bursts during the vocal break and aggressive soloing midway through, which inspires Thompson to do the same. Sotashe takes his final turn on a jazz-inspired take on “Our Father Who Art in Heaven (The Lord’s Prayer), which the ensemble renders with their usual swinging flair without retreating into a too-reverent mode, employing creative syncopation toward the end.  On the other hand, the trio rendered “The Prayer” is as reverent as the ensemble gets, sending up a gorgeous vibe with Jaffe using both pizzicato and arco techniques on his reverberating bass.

The closer, “The Prophet,’ is the clear standout. Hand-clapped rhythms, Riley’s vocal, and an infectious groove evoke the feeling of Max Roach-Oscar Brown Jr.-Abbey Lincoln’s “We Insist!” Civil Rights landmark.  Lee reaches high spiritual ground on his tenor. Thompson says, “‘The Prophet’ is a modern-day blues and chant inspired by composers like Charles Mingus and Cannonball Adderley…elicits the feeling of the African-American’s struggle for freedom to symbolize the adversity that the believer will face in becoming truly free through faith.” This song, six minutes in length, could have easily been extended for a few more minutes. The abrupt ending leaves us wanting more. 

If you’re already a fan of Thompson’s work, you’ll enjoy this record, and don’t be swayed as it may sound overly religious. That aspect is here, but so is the bluesy, soulful, swinging, hard-hitting jazz that brought us to Thompson in the first place.

‘The Book of Isaiah: Modern Jazz Ministry’ will be out on Mack Avenue Records on June 6, 2025. It can be purchased on Bandcamp.

Photo credit: Paolo Soriani