Jazz Quanta March — Five Pianos

Jazz Quanta March — Five Pianos: Marc Copland, Bill Stewart, Julian Shore, Bob Wijnen, Pablo Held

By C. MICHAEL BAILEY

Published: March 3, 2016

Pianist Marc Copland composes with a certain use of darkness, an updated musical version of Caravaggio's use of chiaroscuro in painting. Copland is aided in his alchemic light-shifting by his regular bassist Drew Gress and drummer Joey Baron. Joining the trio is trumpeter Ralph Alessi, who is given plenty of room to investigate some brass dynamics. On "Sun at the Zenith" Alessi's horn sounds like the cross between a flute and trombone, it is eerie. He shifts faintly to Miles Davis on Duke Ellington's "Mystery Song," enweaving elements of "Freddie Freeloader" and "So What." The lengthy, three-part suite "Air We've Never Breathed" shows Copland's evolution between light and dark matters. It is soundtrack music, the soundtrack of restfulness and thoughtfulness, lying somewhere between being and being content. Effortlessly ambient without the pretentious trappings of new age, Copland's Zenith is a quiet wayside where to count the time in quarter-tones to ten.

read more: http://news360.com/digestarticle/BDtZ-PPQLkixfVysnjbrPw

CD REVIEW: Pablo Held - The Trio Meets John Scofield

This concert led by German pianist Pablo Held was part of the “Rising Stars” series co-ordinated by the European Concert Hall Organisation. Held was given the opportunity to invite a guest, and the American guitarist John Scofield (who had never heard of the young piano player before) agreed to participate on the recommendation of his trusted drummer Bill Stewart. The performance took place at the Kölner Philharmonie in January 2014. After the tentative beginning of Held’s composition Cameo, it quickly becomes obvious that this gig has more substance than an impromptu “festival set”. Held says, “You could have expected that such a famous player would be taking a look at the notes for the first time at the rehearsal” but Scofield was enthusiastic about playing with the trio and “had already intensively worked on our pieces”. The principals show real understanding and compatibility, and sparks fly during their opening solos.

read more: http://news360.com/digestarticle/EkKQkALJV06pTAL_VKJdYw