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There are a lot of Gekkers on this CD, which makes it a family affair. The centerpiece of this release is Chris Gekker, who plays on every track. Clarinetist Suzanne Gekker is his wife, pianist Lianna is their daughter, and bassist Jason is their son. The four of them have played together in different settings—for example, with a gypsy swing band—and they bring this CD to a close with their version of Peace on Earth, a number composed by jazz composer, drummer, and Gekker family friend Franklin Kiermyer. This number originally appeared on Kiermyer’s Solomon’s Daughter CD from 1994, where the other musicians included saxophonist Pharoah Sanders. Sanders’s performance on that track is unforgettable (and let’s not forget pianist John Esposito and bassist Drew Gress), but the Gekkers are excellent chamber musicians too. The opening track, …and justice for all? by Robert Auldon Clark, also lets Chris and Jason show off their skills as chamber musicians. Clark’s name was familiar, but I couldn’t place him until the booklet notes reminded me that he helms the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra.

In between those two works, there are lots of other things to enjoy here. The longest work (12:59) is Eric Ewazen’s set of Brahms variations, the theme in question being the first of Brahms’s set of three op. 117 Intermezzi. Chris Gekker commissioned this work from Ewazen, partly because Gekker associated Brahms’s work with his late father Paul Gekker, who often played it on the piano. It is a valuable addition to the flugelhorn and piano literature. Lance Hulme’s Elegy, for trumpet and piano, shows off Chris Gekker’s honeyed legato and the beauty of his tone throughout all of the instrument’s registers. Another work for trumpet and piano, Alistair Coleman’s Acquainted with the Night, also is a lyrical gem, and it is astonishing to read that Coleman composed it while he was in high school. In all three of these works, pianist Rita Sloan matches Gekker’s sensitivity and tone colors. For me, this trio of works, mostly introspective in nature, plus the opening and closing tracks, are what make this CD particularly worth considering.

Gekker is on the faculty at the University of Maryland School of Music, and he was a member of the American Brass Quintet for 18 years. He also served as principal trumpet with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in New York; his recording of Copland’s Quiet City with that ensemble (and conductor Dennis Russell Davies) is outstanding. (Gekker has uploaded it onto YouTube, so you can hear for yourself.)

This release should be of interest to more than those who play the trumpet or the flugelhorn. Gekker is an exemplary musician, and he has chosen works that are likely to appeal to a broad audience. The fact that his family also is musical is a bonus!