  |
|
|
 |
|
CD |
| 4.401 Ft
|
|
| 1. | Like Someone in Love
|
| 2. | Beatrice
|
| 3. | Windows
|
| 4. | When She Smiles
|
| 5. | House of Jade
|
| 6. | The Dolphin
|
| 7. | Nefertiti
|
| 8. | How My Heart Sings
|
| 9. | Tones for Joan's Bones
|
| 10. | Dolphin Dance
|
| 11. | Falling Grace
|
| 12. | Peace
|
Jazz
Paul Kogut - electric guitar
Kelly Sill - acoustic guitar
James Keepnews' liner notes
To paraphrase Chuck D, once again back is the incredible Paul Kogut on this, his second recording as a leader. Far from beiing a sophomore slump, "PEACE" is a rich, fascinating advance into entirely different sonic territories than explored on Paul's first date, the celebrated "Know It? I Wrote It!"
Where that first disc was upbeat and expansive, we hear Paul in a more ruminative mode, aided immeasurably by the accomplished playing of bassist Kelly Sill as well as by the absence on this recording of a drummer. Paul and Kelly are superb foils for one another, coaxing each to fresh melodic directions in their improvisations, all the while driving each piece forward on currents of involuted swing that surprise with unexpected rhythmic emphases. These duo excursions on standards (and tunes what oughtta be more standard) are spacious, reflective, melancholy, joyous, haunting, and finally unerringly distinctive.
Distinction begins at the very beginning with Paul's solo overture to the first track, "Like Someone in Love," taking its formal cue from Bill Evans' modulating re-cast of the original song. We hear in this introduction Paul's continued development as a player, his guitar-playing shot through with a tough, dark-toned resonance that's both direct and oblique, giving his remarkable chord-melody chops an unusual timbral luster. Kelly's solo demonstrates no less timbral variety -- at times, his upper register lines in his solos are often sonically "brighter" than Paul's -- and a penchant for appealingly singable solos.
Moving into the "oughtta be more standard" area, we have a lovely rendition of "Beatrice," already a standard, one imagines, for fans of Joe Henderson, to say nothing of Sam Rivers, the brilliant piece's indefatigable composer. Paul surprises again with a country twang I never imagined I'd hear in the head statement, one that works well for the piece and of a piece with the bluesy, cluster-y harmonic conception Paul presents in virtually every piece on "PEACE".
Chick Corea's "Windows" follows, a standout track that plays especially well to Paul and Kelly's strengths. Kelly's selective note and beat choices create an expertly loose sense of syncopation throughout. The piece's shifts bewteen modulations and tonic rests inspires Paul to more direct, bop fluidity than on the more spare tracks on the disc, where his comping during Kelly's solo is deliciously sumptuous while unobtrusive.
A similarly exacting looseness is brought to bear on "When She Smiles," as well as equally sharp and swift solo work from Paul. Confidently spilling out hall-of-mirror turnbacks and unconventional resolutions, Paul makes his command of the instrument sound utterly effortless, and the transition into Kelly's solo is sudden, sly and -- as decidedly "chunky" as their conception of jazz is -- very smooth, indeed.
A heartbreaking version of Wayne Shorter's "House of Jade" follows, showcasing the great composer's second-relation chordal movement working unusally well with a C blues. Leave it to Paul and Kelly to find the harmonic sophistication in a blues-steeped approach, and vice versa. It's a rendition both quiescent and gripping.
The first dolphin sighting on "PEACE" is Louis Eca's "The Dolphin." It's a fine showcase for Kelly, who takes one of his most intelligently structured solos on the disc, replete with plaintive upper-register textures and low-note growls. He gives chase during Paul's solo, and their contrapuntal exchanges dovetail in a manner that suggests a dance. But I'm getting ahead of myself...
Shorter returns as composer with his indelible, inscrutable "Nefertiti," surely a standard but, given its legendary, idiosyncratic and advanced harmonic architecture, a standard that few musicians are courageous enough to tackle. Paul's solo plunges headlong into the thicket and finds smart plumb lines that build into intriguing substituted chords. Kelly's solo also makes mincemeat of the challenging landscape with clever descending lines that anticipate and generate ultimate resolutions.
More of Bill Evans' abiding influence is on display on a piece forever associated with him, "How My Heart Sings". Paul's opening statement moves from dissonance to consonance with more of those tasty, close-voiced clusters, where his solo leaves ample breathing room for the duo (nice ringing open string there, Paul!). Kelly is equally choosy during his solo and both arrive at a graceful one-point landing.
Chick Corea's own influence continues here on his "Tones for Joan's Bones," and as with "Windows," the duo are very much at home with the piece's appealing modulations and resolutions. Kelly takes the first solo, in fleet, cogent lines followed by Paul's spirited improvisation, brighter than many others on "PEACE", glassy-toned and upbeat.
The real "Dolphin Dance" occurs on Herbie Hancock's familiar standard, with Kelly providing a solo introduction on his own pedal points. Paul once more uncorks some compelling chord substitutions on his arrangement of the head as well as during his solo, with a gorgeous use of harmonics to close the piece.
Paul introduces "Falling Grace" with a gentle, loping swing picked up by Kelly and carried along by Paul's deft soloing along start-stop, serpentine chord tones. Kelly responds in kind with a breezy solo, responding to Paul's coruscating comping with some bright (in a couple of senses) ideas of his own. They close the piece with a fascinating improvised chord progression that concludes on a deliciously dissonant chord, a marvel of irresolution.
"PEACE" concludes with a soulful exploration of the Horace Silver ballad, "Peace". Paul finesses the changes with single-note runs interspersed with confident chordal ingenuity. Kelly is particularly subdued in his solo, staying in a middle dynamic range that draws in the listener. Paul closes the piece, and the disc, with yet another element of surprise in his closing chord, a sudden resolution that feels exactly right no less for it feeling unexpected.
Hats off to these two gentlemen for a marvelous achievement that grows on you and lingers long in the memory. As a leader and guitarist, Paul's now two-for-two, and of course three's a charm - what will he have in store for us next time? While we wait, there will hopefully be many opportunities to hear this outstanding duo in performance to expand upon their already expansive work here, as well as many opportunities to revisit, listen and learn from that very same beguiling, delightful work on "PEACE".
James Keepnews, inexplicably, still lives in Jersey City. |
|
CD bolt, zenei DVD, SACD, BLU-RAY lemez vásárlás és rendelés - Klasszikus zenei CD-k és DVD-különlegességek |  | | Webdesign - Forfour Design |
|
|
