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| I Remember You |
| John Hicks |
| első megjelenés éve: 2009 |
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| (2009)
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CD |
| 4.331 Ft
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| 1. | Reflections
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| 2. | I Remember You
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| 3. | A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square
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| 4. | All of You
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| 5. | Solar
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| 6. | I Want to Talk About You
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| 7. | Everytime We Say Goodbye
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| 8. | Upper Manhattan Medical Group
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| 9. | Nutty
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Jazz
John Hicks, solo piano
For those listeners who are not yet cognizant of his status as one of the most eminent virtuoso piano players in the history of jazz, this newest release by John Hicks is as good a place as any to start. Hicks, who regrettably passed away in 2006, was rarely as recognized as those of colleagues, McCoy Tyner and Herbie Hancock, but Hicks was to combine the lush almost orchestral voicing of Tyner with the economic melodic invention of Hancock. This rare combination of musical qualities coalesced in the formation of a personal style that is as instantly identifiable as it is notable for both its lyricism and strength. Here is Hicks at his most inventive and creative recorded live in concert at the peak of his powers. With this release we are afforded the opportunity to reacquaint ourselves with Hicks' talent in a rare performance of him alone at the keyboard, giving full reign to his limitless technique and imagination.
Andrew H. Bart - Liner Notes
Joe Fields - Producer
Jon Rosenberg - Mastering, Mixing, Producer
Keiji Obata - Design
Richard Conde - Photography
This posthumously issued solo piano recording by John Hicks was done in 2006 at a concert in New Hope, PA, comprising nine standards ranging from American popular songs to post-bop and compositions by Thelonious Monk. The consummate musical linguist, Hicks settles into a no-time ballad format for at least half of the program, takes the razor-sharp edges off of the Monk pieces, and wends his brilliant way through the standards as if he'd played them by memory - which likely he did. An underrated genius of jazz piano if ever there was one, Hicks died before reaping the ultimate rewards and high praise he deserved, so this CD not only reflects a certain melancholy, but celebrates what an original jazz interpreter he truly was. There's a lengthy stretch in the middle of the performance where Hicks strings together elegiac, languid, individual versions of "I Want to Talk About You," "Everytime We Say Goodbye," and "Upper Manhattan Medical Group" as if a prelude to a somber occasion, perhaps to the innate knowledge of his pending passing, which would happen shortly after these performances. The Monk tunes "Reflections" and "Nutty" bookend the program, and you can clearly hear a softer focus, delicate variations, maybe missing a note on the melody of the former, while straying off the path into minor modes on the latter. His take of "Solar" is the gem of the set, taking liberties with expansive reharmonizations and modal incursions to reinvent this piece from within. There's nothing rote in his version of the deep and hypnotic "All of You," where you can understand how Hicks knows this tune pat, yet puts his own personalized and devilish stamp on it. Where Hicks was primarily an ensemble performer, it's good to hear him alone and together with his beloved piano, making subtle and substantive music from the heart. ~ Michael G. Nastos, All Music Guide
John Hicks
Active Decades: '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s and '00s
Born: Dec 12, 1941 in Atlanta, GA
Died: May 10, 2006 in New York, NY
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Post-Bop, Hard Bop, Mainstream Jazz
A longtime fixture of the New York City jazz landscape, pianist John Hicks was an artist of uncommon versatility, moving effortlessly from pop standards to the avant-garde while retaining the dense physicality and intense energy that were the hallmarks of his approach. Born December 12, 1941, in Atlanta, Hicks was still an infant when his preacher father relocated the family to Los Angeles. He spent the better part of his teen years in St. Louis, and counted among his classmates there the young Lester Bowie. Hicks' mother was his first piano teacher, and after a stint at Lincoln University in Missouri he attended the Berklee School of Music and the Juilliard School; he later cited influences spanning from Fats Waller to Thelonious Monk to Methodist church hymns, and his catholic listening tastes were instrumental in shaping his far-ranging skills as a player. After touring in support of bluesman Albert King and hard bop tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin, Hicks backed singer Della Reese during a 1963 New York club residency, and the city remained his home for the rest of his life. In the wake of stints with Kenny Dorham and Joe Henderson, Hicks joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in 1964, collaborating alongside the likes of trumpeters Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard. Two years later, he signed on with singer Betty Carter, like Blakey a keen judge of emerging talent. Upon exiting Carter's band in 1968, Hicks spent the remainder of the decade with Woody Herman and entered the decade to follow as a first-call sideman. He also moonlighted as an educator, and during the early '70s taught jazz and improvisation at Southern Illinois University.
After backing Carter on her 1976 date Now It's My Turn, Hicks returned to her backing group full-time. The exposure vaulted him to new renown, and in 1979 he finally led his own studio effort, After the Morning. With 1981's Some Other Time, cut with bassist Walter Booker and drummer Idris Muhammad, Hicks also emerged as a gifted composer, writing his best-known effort, "Naima's Love Song," in honor of his young daughter. He recorded prolifically in the years to follow, concentrating on solo and small ensemble work including stints as member of the Power Trio and the Keystone Trio. He also served as the regular pianist with the Mingus Dynasty Band and for a time led his own big band. Hicks enjoyed his greatest commercial success with a series of tribute LPs celebrating the music of his mentors and influences, highlighted by 1998's Something to Live For (a collection of Billy Strayhorn compositions), 2000's Impressions of Mary Lou (Williams, of course), and 2003's Fatha's Day (honoring Earl Hines). Hicks' longest and most rewarding collaboration was his partnership with flutist Elise Wood, which launched in 1983 and after several studio sessions and tours culminated in marriage in 2001, around the time of the release of their duo recording Beautiful Friendship. Hicks died suddenly on May 10, 2006. Just three days earlier, he delivered his final performance at Harlem's St. Mark's United Methodist Church, where his father served as a minister prior to his own death. Hicks was 64 years old.
---Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide |
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