Geri Allen - Twylight

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:44
Size: 105,0 MB
Art: Front

(8:43) 1. When Kabuya Dances
(6:08) 2. Shadow Series
(1:45) 3. Skin
(4:12) 4. A Place of Power
(1:15) 5. Twylight
(4:08) 6. Stop the World
(2:36) 7. Wood
(4:26) 8. Little Wind
(3:45) 9. Dream Time
(4:13) 10. Blue
(4:29) 11. Black Pool

Geri Allen's fifth recording overall, and second effort that features both acoustic and electric instruments, is a stunning display in merging basic natural and spiritual ideas with jazz, funk, soul, space, and tribal elements. Sticking with Metro-Detroit friends like drummer Tani Tabbal, bassist Jaribu Shahid, and percussionist Sadiq Bey and Eli Fountain, Allen's role as a musical sorceress was never more pronounced and uniquely realized. The music, part of her self-dubbed "Black Pool Project," is altogether punctuated by multi-ethnic percussion, while liquid, mercurial, and elusive modal melodies, extended by the fresh harmonic pianistics of Allen, sends this brand of jazz into a third dimension. Tracks like the funky, angular "Shadow Series" have an Asian flavor spiced by her feline synthesizer lines, "Wood" is slowed, very mysterious, and cave-dweller like, "Little Wind" darker and wispy, while "Black Pools" is a circus siren's song, wonderfully macabre and even bizarre.

The definitive composition, "A Place of Power," has a memorable piano line plus Allen's brilliant solo sneaking around a light calypso funk expertly rendered by Tabbal. Equally outstanding in a different light, "Dream Time" perfectly represents its sequential title, as quirky, jumpy hooks with a surreal harmonic foundation allows for many layers of subtle rhythms from the percussionists, all cemented by the modal bass of Shahid. Then there's "When Kabuya Dances," a signature song for Allen, as her peaceful, thematic, reverent piano introduction speeds into full-flight fancy, and a kinetic pulse that is magnificent beyond compare. "Skin" showcases a repeat, off-minor theme, "Stop the World" is pure electronica and percussive, while the title track reflects the inexplicable daily shift of light to dark. This is a stunningly beautiful recording marking a distinct progression for Allen, and her complete awareness of the world at large. It might take several listenings to get used to, but the ultimate reward of this high artistic achievement is limitless, as are the possibilities of human endeavor on this Earth.~ Michael G.Nastos https://www.allmusic.com/album/twylight-mw0000202181

Twylight

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Fred Hersch - Songs From Home

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:13
Size: 131,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:09) 1. Wouldn't It Be Loverly
(5:50) 2. Wichita Lineman
(5:15) 3. After You've Gone
(7:16) 4. All I Want
(4:38) 5. Get Out Of Town
(5:47) 6. West Virginia Rose / The Water is Wide
(5:57) 7. Sarabande
(5:10) 8. Consolation (A Folk Song)
(6:04) 9. Solitude
(5:02) 10. When I'm Sixty Four

In order for solo piano playing to be maintained at a high standard, the artist must exhibit a prolific imagination, a wealth of conviction and self-assurance, note-striking precision and a firm sense of swing. Throughout his career, Fred Hersch has exhibited these qualities. Since performers (be they musicians, dancers or actors) are generally defined by their craft (otherwise they are just regular folks like the rest of us) even in these uncertain times, they continue to look for inventive ways to express themselves. Hersch found his in this self-recording from his home in rural Pennsylvania and performed on a familiar but imperfect seven foot Steinway B. He did it by bringing a new openness to an album of covers. "Many of these songs date back to the years before I even knew what jazz was," says Hersch. Hersch belongs to a coterie of jazz pianists who are musically educated and have a versatility in their work that allows them to survive in today's environment. In this eleven track recital, Hersch's overall approach is basically to be faithful to the primary themes of each composition but extend the rhythmic pattern in many ways through the improvisational process. Opening with "Wouldn't It Be Loverly," Hersch lays down a reflective structure as he putters over passages to extract his intended mood. Glen Campbell had a hit with Jimmy Webb's "Wichita Lineman," which talks about love lost on an endless highway. Hersch states the theme then moves on, holding the original material in a standoff fashion, as he explores its contours.

The ever reliable Cole Porter invokes a well known theme in "Get Out Of Town," which Hersch approaches in a rakish upbeat fashion as he plays the theme phrase in a series of eighth notes. As the number progresses, Hersch abandons the melody and replaces it with improvised passages that he negotiates as an ever changing theme before returning to the familiar melody. As he negotiates his way through the remaining compositions, two of which, "West Virginia Rose" and "Sarabande," are is own, Hersch contemplates the structures of the pieces and finds an accessibility that offers a lucidity to their interpretation. During October, Hersch would have celebrated his 65th birthday. So he gave himself a birthday present with a re-imagining of the Lennon/McCartney classic "When I'm Sixty-Four." He uses a playful stride technique to bring the album to a close in anticipation of better days ahead. Throughout this release, Fred Hersch plays with an elusiveness and unconventionality that is meant to sustain the listener's interest, which he unfailingly does. ~ Pierre Giroux https://www.allaboutjazz.com/songs-from-home-fred-hersch-palmetto-records

Personnel: Fred Hersch: piano.

Songs From Home

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