CD Review: Bobby Wiens, Focus

Denver-based drummer Bobby Wiens arrives at his second album as a leader with something to say — and the compositional confidence, the band, and the recording to say it properly. This is a record that rewards patience and repeated listening, and it arrives as one of the more satisfying small-group jazz releases I’ve heard so far this year.

Six years have passed since Wiens made his debut with Talking Drums on Cellar Music, and the growth documented here is real and audible. Where Talking Drums established his credentials as a drummer with strong groove and a genuine melodic sensibility, Focus goes considerably further. Eleven of the twelve tracks are his own compositions, and Wiens has used that creative freedom wisely — building a programme that is genuinely varied in feel and texture while maintaining an unmistakable through-line from first track to last.

The band he has assembled deserves equal billing. Trumpeter Gabriel Mervine and pianist Tom Amend are the stars of the show here — both musicians of real caliber who contribute solos and ensemble work of the highest quality throughout. Bassist Seth Lewis completes a rhythm section that plays with collective intelligence. What strikes you as the album unfolds, though, is how central Wiens himself is to everything — not by pushing to the front, but by being the foundation the whole thing rests on. He is solid across every track, never drawing attention away from the ensemble, yet always present, always steering. It is the mark of a strong leader, and on Focus he wears it naturally. Credit too to recording and mixer engineer Colin Bricker, whose work captures the group’s acoustic character with exceptional clarity. The sound quality on this record is outstanding.

The album opens with “Go Back to the Beginning,” that seems a statement of intent: the two-bar drum intro gives way to a full-on New Orleans second-line groove with Mervine’s open trumpet cutting through the top. It’s immediately engaging, and it sets a question in the listener’s mind about where exactly this record is going to go. The title track, “Focus,” answers that emphatically, this is a hard-swinging neo-bop burner that smells of Coltrane, with commanding solos from both Amend and Mervine, the latter stretching to the upper registers with assurance. “Hat Trick” follows, a medium-tempo swinger with a strong two feel and a Q&A quality in the writing that puts the band’s interplay front and centre.

“Devoted Heart” comes as a welcome change of pace — a haunting straight-eighth ballad that provides a genuine rest point after the energy of the previous two tracks. “Sun Dance,” dedicated to Al Foster, is a well-crafted calypso that the band plays with care and commitment. It does its job perfectly well; it simply sits a notch below the compositional interest of the pieces around it, a minor dip in a programme that otherwise keeps raising the bar. “Hermann” more than compensates — a piece that starts in exploratory territory before developing into a committed up-tempo post-bop swinger, with particularly impressive contributions from Amend and Mervine. This one came together beautifully, and it’s one of the album’s highlights.

“Headed East” introduces a new colour to the palette, with Amend moving to Fender Rhodes and giving the track a subtle fusion tinge that suits it well. “Morning Run” opens with a staccato statement — muted trumpet leading into another up-tempo swinger — before “Mantra” arrives as the centrepiece of the second half. This is the track where Wiens himself commands the most attention: his playing here channels the spirit of Elvin Jones with genuine conviction, and the result is something that feels both grounded in tradition and distinctively his own.

“For AJ” adds a Hammond organ to the ensemble, and Wiens has the good instinct to use it sparingly — the comping under a bass solo is a genuinely fresh touch, not something you encounter every day in this idiom. “Minor Dilemma” is another highlight, built on a particularly effective interplay between Rhodes and trumpet that gives it an almost conversational character. The album closes with Bob Dylan’s “With God on Our Side” — the only non-original and, it must be said, a bold choice. Wiens leans into a gospel-infused, freely interpreted reading that steps outside the album’s language. It’s a slightly unexpected turn, but it lands as a fitting conclusion to a set that has kept its options genuinely open throughout.

What distinguishes Focus ultimately is the way Wiens leads — the quiet authority of a musician who understands that the drummer’s job is to be the foundation, not the spectacle. He has assembled the right band, written the right material, and had the wisdom to let it breathe. On this evidence, his growth as both composer and leader is the real story. Highly recommended.

All compositions by Bobby Wiens, except “With God on Our Side” by Bob Dylan

Line-Up:
Gabriel Mervine – Trumpet & Flugelhorn | Tom Amend – Piano & Keyboards | Seth Lewis – Bass | Bobby Wiens – Drums

Release Date: 31 March 2026
Format: CD | Streaming
Label: Self Release