Matt Herskowitz - Upstairs

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:10
Size: 161,3 MB
Art: Front

(13:36) 1. Dzienkuye
( 7:04) 2. Waltz In Moscow
( 9:02) 3. Cantabile
( 5:27) 4. Träumerei
(12:22) 5. Bella's Lament
( 3:25) 6. Bach à la Jazz
(10:55) 7. But Not For Me
( 8:15) 8. I've Got Rhythm

This CD was recorded before an audience at the Upstairs Jazz Bar & Grill in Montreal where Matt Herskowitz has made his home since 2000 and the first thing that struck me was the phenomenal technique possessed by this Albany-born pianist. The varied program begins with a long over 13 minutes interpretation of the Dave Brubeck composition, Dziekuje which means “thank you” in Polish, and was modelled on Chopin’s Prelude in E Minor. He also includes Cantabile by Michel Petrucciani, Traumerei by Robert Schumann, music by J.S. Bach, two originals, Waltz In Moscow and Bella’s Lament plus a couple of Gershwin songs for good measure But Not For Me and I’ve Got Rhythm.

Herskowitz’ classical training permeates the music, sometimes at the expense of “jazz feeling” but then there are also passages of delicate beauty as shown in Bella’s Lament and Traumerei. To make a comparison between visual art and music, Herskowitz is like, say, a Dali rather than a Mondrian.I have a non-musical complaint on behalf of all of us with less than perfect eyesight. The liner notes are in deep blue against a black background, making them all but impossible to read. I, and a few others I have spoken with, find it extremely frustrating. Designers of CD sleeves please take note.~ Jim Galloway https://www.thewholenote.com/index.php/booksrecords2/jazzaimprovised/23553-upstairs-matt-herskowitz

Upstairs

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Carla Bley, Andy Sheppard, Steve Swallow - Life Goes On

Styles: Piano, Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:44
Size: 130,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:00) 1. Life Goes On: Life Goes On
(4:46) 2. Life Goes On: On
(4:10) 3. Life Goes On: And On
(9:02) 4. Life Goes On: And Then One Day
(4:35) 5. Beautiful Telephones - Pt. 1
(6:13) 6. Beautiful Telephones - Pt. 2
(6:16) 7. Beautiful Telephones - Pt. 3
(5:29) 8. Copycat: After You
(0:17) 9. Copycat: Follow The Leader
(9:51) 10. Copycat: Copycat

The endless staircases of M.C. Escher’s castles don’t demand a soundtrack to be appreciated, but if you bask in Carla Bley’s “Copycat” while absorbing a few of the Dutch artist’s impossible labyrinths, you might be in for extra fun. One of Life Goes On’s three micro-suites, Bley’s piece arrives with a process mandate: Each line of the group’s performance should be an echo or variation of the preceding line. That leads to a wonderfully fluid symmetry. The choices pour forth, pensively at first, and then puckishly, as is often the esteemed composer’s wont. The fourth album in a quarter-century’s worth of collabs by the buoyant trio of the pianist, bassist Steve Swallow, and saxophonist Andy Sheppard, Life Goes On teems with the kind of balance that has marked their previous discs, but it also boasts an extra dose of eloquence.

Though I’m still citing the band’s masterpiece as 2013’s “Utviklingssang” (as finely cut a jewel as the MJQ’s “Django”), the level of detail at work on this latest disc is unmistakable. “Beautiful Telephones,” the pianist’s gibe at 45’s cluckish oogling over the Oval Office’s squawkbox, glows with the ominous tone of an étude penned by Bernard Herrmann. Bley knows we’re in deep shit these days, so her allusion to Chopin’s “Funeral March,” along with wry references to “It’s a Grand Old Flag,” “Yankee Doodle,” and other American chestnuts indicts us all for allowing Trumpian freedom to ring. As each passage inches forward, Sheppard’s concise moves match Swallow’s plush choices. The group’s chemistry is ultra-refined at this late date; the carefully calibrated sharing of duties brings a quizzical serenity to this improv-slanted chamber music.

Bley has told interviewers she’d like to be writing for a big band, but current economics demand a more scaled-down stance. No worries. The 81-year-old’s trademark humor still gets its moments in the sun. For example: “Copycat” ends a 15-minute-long parade of slippery tradeoffs with a curt three-note phrase that finds each musician in perfect accord. Same place, same time, at last. Feel free to put your grinning-face emoji right there.~ Jim Macnie https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/carla-bley-andy-sheppard-steve-swallow-life-goes-on-ecm/

Personel: Piano – Carla Bley; Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Andy Sheppard; Bass – Steve Swallow

Life Goes On

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