Solo
By Dan McClenaghan
Pianist Vijay Iyer may be one of the great ones; only time will tell. The pianist has risen to become a critics' darling, mostly on the basis of his quartet outings, including the much-lauded Reimagining (Savoy Jazz, 2005) and Tragicomic (Sunnyside Records, 2008). He's worked a trio magic, to, -with his piano/saxophone/drums Fieldwork group, on the high intensity Your Life Flashes (Pi Recordings, 20002), Simulated Progress (Pi Recordings, 2005), and Door (Pi Recordings, 2008).
All of Iyer's recordings, pre-2009, have featured saxophonists: the innovative Rudresh Mahanthappa on the sets under his own name, and the equally-talented Aaron Stewart and Steve Lehman on the Fieldwork sets.
Iyer's Historicity (ACT Music, 2009)—a piano trio offering—and now Solo, indicate a paring down of the approach, and also a move into more non-original material, with marvelous results.
A good one-word description of Iyer's work, pre-Historicity would be "intense." The majority of his earlier offerings are full-speed-ahead, chip-on-the-shoulder, perhaps, with a tinge of anger—sounds that are looking to kick somebody's ass. The absence of the very aggressive saxophonists he employs seems to have injected some calm introspection into his artistry. He opens Solo with "Human Nature," the Michael Jackson hit that Miles Davis brought over to the jazz side. Iyer respects the beautiful melody, and gives it a restless quality.
The restlessness continues on Thelonious Monk's "Epistrophy," a busy, clamorous rendition that leads into a tension-and-release of the American Songbook tune, "Darn That Dream." Iyer feels his way into the ruminative melody and adds dashes of Monk-like dissonance.
Iyer also proves himself a superb interpreter of Duke Ellington compositions. His take on "Black and Tan Fantasy" possesses a jaunty, devil-may-care, percussive strut. "Fleurette Africaine" drifts deep into a somber mood that suggests a fitful struggle in its more percussive sections.
Iyer's own compositions often have an inward, very personal quality to them. "Autoscopy" is a turbulent, bristling disturbance, with flashes of unfettered Cecil Taylor-like freedom before Iyer settles the sound into a soothing groove that he alternates with segments of high tension.
"Patterns" begins with a moment of peaceful reflection that builds to Iyer-esque, hard-charging intensity, while "Desiring" glows with an especially lovely and wistful mood of unrequited want.
By 2008, Vijay Iyer's work gave the feeling of an artist having reached a plateau, with a sense of sameness from one disc to the next. Now the pianist's vision expands. After the superb Historicity, the expectations for Iyer were high; with Solo, he has exceeded them .
Track Listing:
Human Nature; Epistrophy; Darn that Dream; Black & Tan Fantasy; Prelude: Heartpiece; Autoscopy; Patterns; Desiring; Games; Fleurette Africaine; One for Blount.
Personnel: Vijay Iyer: piano.
Paczynski, Levinson, Jenny-Clark
Levin'song
By EastWind Import
A veteran French drummer who is recognized for his work both in jazz and classical music, Georges Paczynski recorded this album in 1994 with a stellar trio with pianist Jean-Christophe Levinson, who also composed all tunes, and wonderful bassist Jean-Francois Jenny-Clark, who sadly passed away in 1998.Originally released by a French minor label, this CD quickly went out of print but gained a cult status for its musical quality among Japanese jazz fans. Atelier Sawano has made this gem of an album available again, this time hopefully for a wider audience that it deserves.While clearly following the piano trio tradition pioneered by Bill Evans, these superb European musicians created wonderful music here. Their interaction is fierce and empathetic. Creative and ever-changing bass lines and dynamic drumming complement and challenge the pianist and elevate his performance. Even if you've never heard of them, it doesn't matter. This is great jazz. Highly recommended!Recorded in May 1994 in Paris. This Japanese edition was released by Atelier Sawano in August 2007.
Jean-Philippe Viret
Pour
Paczynski, Levinson, Jenny-Clark
Levin'song
By EastWind Import
A veteran French drummer who is recognized for his work both in jazz and classical music, Georges Paczynski recorded this album in 1994 with a stellar trio with pianist Jean-Christophe Levinson, who also composed all tunes, and wonderful bassist Jean-Francois Jenny-Clark, who sadly passed away in 1998.Originally released by a French minor label, this CD quickly went out of print but gained a cult status for its musical quality among Japanese jazz fans. Atelier Sawano has made this gem of an album available again, this time hopefully for a wider audience that it deserves.While clearly following the piano trio tradition pioneered by Bill Evans, these superb European musicians created wonderful music here. Their interaction is fierce and empathetic. Creative and ever-changing bass lines and dynamic drumming complement and challenge the pianist and elevate his performance. Even if you've never heard of them, it doesn't matter. This is great jazz. Highly recommended!Recorded in May 1994 in Paris. This Japanese edition was released by Atelier Sawano in August 2007.
Jean-Philippe Viret
Pour
By Citizen Jazz
Pour. Le mot tombe comme le plus fugace des éloges, comme une tendre et précise déclaration d’amour à la musique.Pour. Le mot claque comme une solide et galvanisante intention de donner du sens à la démarche. Il aura fallu Le temps qu’il faut pour que la phrase Indicible laisse planer, suspendue, la possibilité d’une dernière partie.Le temps qu’il faut pour... quoi d’ailleurs ? rêver ? s’évader ? Ou tout simplement façonner un univers comme l’ébéniste façonne le bois ?Le gracieux trio du contrebassiste Jean-Philippe Viret apporte via son sixième album un début de réponse en persistant dans une brèche où poésie de l’instant et élégante légèreté sont désormais une marque de fabrique patiemment élaborée.
Sur la pochette de ce Pour, les membres du trio sont superposés, comme pour illustrer l’harmonie homogène et la fluidité naturelle qui permet d’évoluer dans le souffle de l’illusion et le jazz des images. En témoigne l’ouverture alanguie, empreinte d’émotion - « Not Yet » - qui pourrait sortir tout droit d’un film noir. Le raffinement prend une dimension apaisée - voir la très belle « Barge rousse » - dans ces compositions nées sur scène, contrairement aux disques précédents, ce qui souligne encore le relief des teintes « spleen », entre ombre et lumière.
On se réapproprie avec plaisir l’alchimie créatrice qui unit contrebassiste et pianiste (le lyrique Edouard Ferlet et confère au trio une sonorité parsemé de réminiscences chambristes et de bribes de Debussy, de Ravel. Au centre, le batteur fait le lien ; musical et hypnotique, il s’attache davantage à la couleur qu’à la seule rythmique, pourtant subtile. Prenant la suite d’Antoine Banville, Fabrice Moreau - déjà remarqué sur Le temps qu’il faut- apporte beaucoup au disque, et notamment ce sentiment de concorde. Un disque tout entier imprégné par le timbre chaleureux de sa contrebasse, même si Viret, tout en restant aussi féru de jeux de mots, est plus parcimonieux que par le passé. Sur « Page 345 », par exemple, il laisse le champ libre à des discussions tout en astractions entre batteur et pianiste. Mais ailleurs, c’est une libre conversation à trois qui s’impose (« Le Ré grave », où la contrebasse, plus imposante, est magnifiée par la prise de son de Gérard de Haro, qui façonne depuis toujours le son du groupe).
Pourécrit un nouveau chapitre de l’aventure d’amitié qui évolue depuis près de dix ans. Nancy Huston dit joliment dans les notes de pochette que « Le trio, comme le tabouret tripode, est une structure solide » ; la contrebasse de Jean-Philippe Viret doit être faite de ces bois qui rendent les sièges plus robustes.
Espen Eriksen Trio
You Had Me At Goodbye
By Phil Johnson
This tasteful, ambient-friendly Norwegian piano trio offers an accessible, slightly poppy update on the examples of Tord Gustavsen and EST.
It's a familiar-enough method: strong melodies and sensitive playing favouring ensemble depth and textural detail rather than "Look at me, ma!" solos, although it's clear that all three have chops. Like Gustavsen, the governing mood is rather melancholy with a slightly funky edge. As the eight original Eriksen tunes total no more than 37 minutes, you're left wanting more rather than less.
Gianni Basso Quartet Meets Enrico Rava
Tea For Two
By Ken Dryden
Tenor saxophonist Gianni Basso is better known to European audiences, while trumpeter and flügelhornist Enrico Rava has had greater international exposure through recordings for more widely distributed labels; but they represent some of the top players on the continent. Joined by a superb rhythm section (pianist Andrea Pozza, bassist Luciano Milanese, and drummer Stefano Bagnoli), they cruise through a set focusing mostly on standards, ranging from the 1920s through the 1950s, with a couple of surprises. Among the highlights are two lilting takes of "Bye, Bye Blackbird," a pair of warm interpretations of "All the Things You Are" (where Rava is heard on both open and muted trumpet to good effect), a relaxed "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?," and a buoyant performance of the old warhorse "Tea for Two." Among the more interesting choices are the lush takes of "The Gypsy" (forever associated with Louis Armstrong) and Dizzy Gillespie's timeless ballad "I Waited for You." This is one of many gems that make the Philology label worth exploring at length.
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