  |
|
|
 |
|
CD |
| 4.060 Ft
|
|
| 1. | Bemsha Swing
|
| 2. | Misterioso
|
| 3. | Eronel
|
| 4. | Round Midnight
|
| 5. | Think Of One
|
| 6. | Bolivar Blues
|
| 7. | Bye-Ya
|
| 8. | Blue Monk
|
| 9. | I Mean You
|
| 10. | Bright Mississippi
|
| 11. | Ask Me Know
|
| 12. | We See
|
| 13. | Straight No Chaser
|
| 14. | Ugly Beauty
|
Jazz
Tom Aalfs - electric violin
Peter Bernstein - electric guitar
Jay Leonhart - bass
Reviews:
Five string electric violinist Tom Aalfs, six string electric guitarist Peter Bernstein, and four string acoustic contrabassist Jay Leonhart make up the "fifteen." Though some might deem these fourteen interpretations of Thelonious Monk's greatest compositions somewhat polite, the pervasive spirit and compact efficiency with which they play with these themes is hardly tame or lame. In fact the three conjure up an effortless spirit that borders on delightful gypsy dialect.
There's a Stuff Smith connection here in that Aalfs displays the haunting lyricism that earmarked Smith's sound, and Leonart (when he was 17!) played with Stuff in the '50s. Bernstein is simply an incredibly talented, amplified but non-treated, cleanly guitarist. He seems to always fall into a comfort zone, whether playing Joshua Redman's modern jazz, in an organ combo, or this stylized, angular, boppified chamber music. All cuts feature the triad, arrangements are kept to a minimum, the simplicity of Monk's music, if anyone dare say that, is beautifully rendered. Elfin deviations from the three include the exquisitely conceived stairstep call-and-response between violin and guitar on "Misterioso," the slight strut of "Bolivar Ba-lues Are," (misidentified as "Bolivar Blues,") the ultra-cool "Bye-Ya," an off-kilter sauced guitar during "Blue Monk," the minimalist repetiton and almost classical reading of "Ask Me Now," or the slightly modified arrangement of "Straight, No Chaser."
If there's any fault or nit to pick, it is in the remarkable eveness of this program, and a format which varies or deviates little in sonic punch, but yields so much more in heartfelt sentiment and brilliant musicianship. How much more wonderful can a CD get? ~ Michael G. Nastos, All Music Guide
Jay Leonhart on the birth of Group 15: "We started off with the usual jazz standards from the composers of the first half of the century, still at some point we wandered into a little be-bop and some Monk songs. You know how it happens, the devil makes you do it. But the applause grew more appreciative and enthusiastic. We started noticing what a gentle and persuasive vehicle our fifteen strings were for some of the more complex Monk compositions. Right there I thought that this group should record. By the next evening Sunnyside had agreed to record the CD.
Those of you who are always counting strings will need to know that Tom Aalfs plays a five string electric violin, Peter Bernstein plays the hell out of the standard 6 string guitar, and I remain faithful to the 4 stringed bass viol, which adds up to fifteen strings and voilà!... Group 15. I keep worrying that 5, 6, and 4 are not going to add up to 15 when it really counts.
Tom Aalfs is from Massachusetts, Peter Bernstein is from Manhattan, and I am from Baltimore. And in spite of the vast geographical and cultural differences between us, we have managed to find our way together through some fascinating and historic Thelonious Monk music. We hope you enjoy Group 15." |
|
CD bolt, zenei DVD, SACD, BLU-RAY lemez vásárlás és rendelés - Klasszikus zenei CD-k és DVD-különlegességek |  | | Webdesign - Forfour Design |
|
|
