Paul Litteral, Litteral Truth Review

by Stamish Malcuss

Listen closely to Paul Litteral and you will hear the beauty of form, function, and a singable line. These principle governs Litteral Truth, a record whose strength lies in proportion. The ten tracks on the album feature Litteral’s approach to the music as a trumpet with various ensembles guided by a common love of similar qualities. What emerges is a project in which arrangement, orchestration, and solo conception operate as a single organism. This is music built by musicians who understand how to connect to a wide range of music fans.

The album opens with “Home At Last,” and immediately establishes its governing principle of melody as architecture. Michael Wetherwax’s arrangement situates the piece within a relaxed jazz-funk framework shaded by reggae inflection, but the true magic lies in the voice-leading of the horn section and its interaction with the vocal material. Angela O’Neill’s lead singing and Rocky Davis’ background-vocal arrangement sung by Anna Orbison and Deborah Davis add to the appeal. This is fun music and will appeal to a wide audience of music lovers.

Litteral’s trumpet tone is notably centered, unforced, and buzzes within the ensemble register. His solo phrasing adheres closely to the melodic contour of the head, favoring linear continuity over over indulgence. This is improvisation as variation, a popular music sensibility applied with jazz language.

Michael Mull’s arrangement of “Give It Everything You’ve Got” demonstrates a keen understanding of rhythmic form. Ken Rosser’s guitar establishes a repeating cell, over which the ensemble layers material incrementally. The horns are voiced as rhythmic agents rather than harmonic pads, with short, unified statements that reinforce meter and subdivision.

The male–female vocal interplay functions as another angle and color to the horn writing, recalling a dance band dialogue translated into funk syntax. Importantly, the arrangement avoids premature density; space is preserved, allowing each layer to register clearly.

Rocky Davis’s arrangement of Donald Fagen’s “Do It Again” is a delightful exploration of this song in large-scale form. Material is introduced gradually, density accumulates in a natural manner, and sectional writing grows more assertive as the track progresses. The shout chorus is expertly voiced, rhythmically grounded, and harmonically rich. The ensemble plays with passion to capture this explicit orchestral gesture.

Litteral’s solo placement is telling. Rather than functioning as a climactic solo, his improvisation acts as resolution. He draws directly from the melodic DNA of the melody, developing short motivic ideas through rhythmic displacement and register shaping. This is improvisation in dialogue with form and development to stimulate any listener.

Where harmonic expansion governs “Do It Again,” “Use Me” is built on rhythmic groove. Bill Bodine’s arrangement foregrounds groove as the primary organizing force. Horn figures are concise, unified, and placed with precision. They function rhythmically and harmonically, reinforcing the temporal grid established by the rhythm section. O’Neill’s soulful singing of the melody fronts the band with interesting phrasing and engaging embellishments.

Litteral’s solo language mirrors this approach. Rather than long harmonic lines, he favors rhythmic motives, developed through repetition, placement, and subtle variation. The result is improvisation that feels shaped by feel and appeal for maximum clarity.

The album closes with “Follow Me,” and in doing so, completes its formal arc. The nylon-string guitar from Rosser establishes intimacy and tonal warmth. As the band layers in, entrances are deliberate, each expansion widening the emotional field without obscuring clarity. The arrangement unfolds like an emotional cinematic scene. Vocalist Anna Orbison brings the melody to life in this Davis arrangement.

Litteral’s trumpet feature is at its most lyrical. Tone remains full across registers, articulation is clean, and phrase endings are carefully shaped. Importantly, his melodic statements echo earlier sensibilities from the album’s ethos,  a strong focus on melody from start to finish. The effect is cyclical. The album does not end, but all great melodies, it resolves.

Across the ten tracks, Litteral Truth reveals itself as an album governed by melodic intelligence. Paul Litteral’s trumpet voice is inseparable from the structures that surround it. Melody, rhythm, and arrangement operate as a unified system, with each informing the other.

For jazz fans, this record offers a compelling cross-genre appeal with a groove that coexist with architectural clarity, improvisations that honor form, and an engaging sound through making melodies stick.