  |
|
|
 |
|
CD |
| 4.500 Ft
|
|
| 1. | Stuttering
|
| 2. | Child&
|
| 3. | Song Without Words
|
| 4. | Light Years
|
| 5. | Down Home
|
| 6. | Invitation To The Dance (Sarabande)
|
| 7. | Lee&
|
| 8. | Canzona
|
| 9. | Free Flying
|
| 10. | A Wish (Valentine)
|
Jazz / Post-Bop
Fred Hersch - piano
Ralph Alessi - trumpet
Jo Lawry - vocals
Richie Barshay - percussions
For more than two decades, the Grammy nominated pianist/composer/educator Fred Hersch has produced musical magic in a myriad of settings, from solo, duo, and trio, to small and large ensembles, that encompass the change and continuity of the jazz tradition. On Live at the Jazz Standard, his return to Sunnyside, where he released some seminal recordings in the eighties (and in 2003), Hersch unveils his Pocket Orchestra: a quicksilver assemblage of outstanding musicians: drummer Richie Barshay (Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Kenny Werner), trumpeter Ralph Alessi (Steve Coleman, Ravi Coltrane) and Australian vocalist Jo Lawry (Renee Rosnes, Lewis Nash) recorded at New York s Jazz Standard in May, 2008. Ralph has been my trumpeter of choice for many years now, Hersch says. He is a creative improviser and has a great sound and he reacts so quickly to what is going on. I heard Jo about a year and a half ago, and was really knocked out by her musicianship, her pure sound, her improvisational skills and her secure way with a lyric. I heard Richie play with some other pianists, and played some sessions with him and it just clicked. He has a great jazz feel as well as being a very personal and diverse percussionist. brbrYou may notice that there is no bassist on this recording. The omission is intentional, and it defines the band s concept. I had done some playing/touring with a group of this same instrumentation in the UK with Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone and Paul Clarvis so I knew that the combination would work with the right people, Hersch says. In this context, I can be the orchestra and use the full range of the piano to shape the music. And it frees up my left hand not having a bassist. This group plays my compositions exclusively, and the instrumentation allows for a huge range of styles and vibes. brbr Indeed, the CD s ten tracks all written by the leader showcase the diverse styles and vibes that Hersch and company so easily and emphatically explore and expound on. Stuttering is a spirited, Monk-like, three-beat 32-bar number, contrasted by Child Song, Down Home, and Lee s Dream (based on You Stepped Out of a Dream ); three songs dedicated to Charlie Haden, Bill Frissell, and Lee Konitz, that are imbued with hues of bop, folk and the blues. Light Years is a beautiful art song about light and photography, featuring the poetry of Mary Jo Salter. Winstone contributed lyrics to A Wish [Valentine], the Wayne Shorter, infant-eyed, Invitation to the Dance [Sarabande], and the Latinesque Songs Without Words #4: Duet, a track Hersch describes as a duet between different parts of my right hand... The last two selections are new versions of songs originally released in 1986 and 2001. Canzona is another lilting and lyrical ballad written with the phenomenal Belgian guitarist/harmonica virtuoso Toots Thielemans in mind, and Free Flying soars with South American syncopations inspired by the great Brazilian multi-instrumentalist Egberto Gismonti.
"Pianist Fred Hersch has been one of the most highly regarded performers and composers of his generation. He's lauded not only for his abilities on piano and composition but also for his experiments with interesting sound and group combinations.
The group represented on Hersch's latest recording, Live At Jazz Standard, has been affectionately named the Pocket Orchestra. The Pocket Orchestra is a unique assembly of piano, vocals, trumpet and percussion. Along with Hersch, the band includes trumpeter Ralph Alessi, Australian vocalist Jo Lawry and the inimitable percussionist Richie Barshay.
The band was an experiment for Hersch with a group minus a bass player and with the vocalist used more as an instrumental foil. Most of the songs were written and arranged by Hersch, except for the group’s takes on Sarabande’s "Invitation To The Dance" and Valentine’s "A Wish" featuring text by Norma Winstone. There are many lovely moments on the record as Hersch proves to be a master of moods and melody. Live At Jazz Standard is a wonderful example of what Hersch and company can bring to live performance."
Ever the restless artist, pianist Fred Hersch wastes no time moving from one project to another. But he's termed this one "unintentional", having played with his "Pocket Orchestra" (in reality a quartet) only one other time, and that was the evening prior to these recordings at Jazz Standard in New York City. Stripping down the ensemble to barebones with no bassist, Hersch is joined by veteran drummer Richie Barshay, the excellent trumpeter Ralph Alessi, and Australian vocalist Jo Lawry. The music sports ethereal, wistful qualities at times, and in other instances, playful, prosaic, ethnic, and curious ones. Ever mindful of the deeper spirit of the heart, Hersch is consistently able to excavate deep emotions from the wellspring of timeless beauty, ancient traditions, and always the true spirit of modern jazz. "Stuttering" kicks off the set, and it's one of those irresistible pieces that commands your attention from the first note to the last, with its mixed meter navigation based in 3/4 time, unison piano, muted trumpet, and vocal lines, a daunting swing, the complex made simple, and adding a smidgen of funk. Hersch's famous "Song Without Words" is a samba with spiritual implications, Alessi's bright trumpet identifies the bluesy da-da song "Down Home," and an Afro-Cuban bounce tacked onto a New Orleans shuffle with Lawry and Hersch's quick, maximized staccato phrases enhances "Free Flying." Norma Winstone's lyrics are soulfully sung by Lawry in the innocent, breathless, light hearted way they were written on the waltz swing ballad "Invitation to the Dance" and the unrequited, sweet, Valentine's Day invitation "A Wish." Lawry sings and recites M.J. Salter's "what did you think?" poem; "Light Years," uses wordless scat on the fun and impish tune "Lee's Dream," one Bill Evans would enjoy; la-la's along during the more ECM like, Native American elements of "Child's Song," and hums in reserved, reverent repast aside Hersch for the Spanish tinged paean/prayer "Canzona." Each piece uniquely tells its own story, with Alessi's constantly inventive and listenable horn positively influencing the sound of Hersch's wise and wary piano stylings. Another successful project in a long line of them, it is a very fine example of how Hersch continually expands his horizons beyond standard fare and tradition, making his own history with every unique idea he is still capable of fathoming after all these years. ~ Michael G. Nastos, All Music Guide
Fred Hersch
Active Decades: '80s, '90s and '00s
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Chamber Jazz, Bop, Post-Bop, Mainstream Jazz, Progressive Jazz, Standards
A superior soloist, accompanist, and interpreter of ballads, Fred Hersch started playing piano when he was four. He moved to New York in 1977 and worked as a sideman with many players including Stan Getz, Joe Henderson, Toots Thielemans, Art Farmer, Jane Ira Bloom, Eddie Daniels, and Janis Siegel, in addition to leading his own groups. During 1980-1986, he taught at the New England Conservatory and became part of the faculty at the New School. In addition, Hersch has recorded extensively as a leader, including for Sunnyside, Concord, AngelEMI, Red, and Chesky, issuing Songs We Know in 1998. Songs Without Words followed three years later. Since that time, Hersch has remained quite active, releasing a bevy of albums including the three-disc Songs Without Words in 2001, the ambitious Walt Whitman-inspired project Leaves of Grass in 2005, and Night & the Music in 2007. In 2009, Live at Jazz Standard appeared on Sunnyside, billed under the Fred Hersch Pocket Orchestra.
---Scott Yanow, All Music Guide |
|
CD bolt, zenei DVD, SACD, BLU-RAY lemez vásárlás és rendelés - Klasszikus zenei CD-k és DVD-különlegességek |  | | Webdesign - Forfour Design |
|
|
