By Ed Enright | Published November 2025
A hard-working multi-instrumentalist, composer and master of a wide range of jazz styles, Mark Sherman has long ranked among the top vibraphonists in the world. After releasing a series of four well-received albums that showcased his previously unrevealed virtuosity on the piano, Sherman returns to the vibraphone on Bop Contest, featuring an all-star lineup of bassist Ron Carter, pianist Donald Vega, drummer Carl Allen and guest trumpeter Joe Magnarelli. The project has its origins in Sherman’s personal connection to the 88-year-old Carter, a colleague on the faculty of the Juilliard School who happens to be the most recorded bassist in jazz history. Bop Contest marks the first time Sherman has enlisted Carter to play on one of his 22 recordings as a leader — and it gets its name from the title of Sherman’s first effort at writing a bebop tune. Recorded at Van Gelder Studios, it’s an homage to the straightahead jazz tradition, a foundational and formative influence upon Sherman and each of the musicians in this dream-team lineup. In addition to being a longtime member of Carter’s Golden Striker Trio, Vega takes inspiration from two of Sherman’s favorite pianists: Kenny Barron, with whom the vibraphonist recorded the duet album Interplay in 2015, and the late Cedar Walton, two of whose compositions are included on Bop Contest. Allen and Carter have crossed paths over the years, and the drummer has worked frequently with Sherman, including on his debut as a pianist, 2019’s My Other Voice. Magnarelli, a longtime friend and collaborator of Sherman’s, was called upon to add his trumpet and flugelhorn to a pair of Sherman originals. The title track is a classic bebop burner with a serpentine vibes-trumpet unison melody sparking vigorous solos and culminating in a friendly round-robin exchange that amounts to an elite-level cutting contest. Sherman’s second original is the lilting jazz waltz “Love Always Always Love.” Album opener “111-44,” by Oliver Nelson, was originally recorded on the saxophonist/arranger’s 1961 album Straight Ahead with Eric Dolphy and Roy Haynes. The Walton pieces are “Bremond’s Blues” (from the 1987 release Cedar Walton Plays, which also featured Carter on bass) and “Martha’s Prize,” from Walton’s 1996 album Composer. Sherman’s take on “My One And Only Love” is a lively bossa nova seasoned with tasty, bebop-informed reharmonizations. The album closes with Sherman playing an eloquent duet with himself on “Skylark,” luxuriating in the depths of the timeless standard with a fresh harmonic approach that perfectly suits his signature lyrical approach — on both vibes and piano.
