Record Reviews

FRACTURED DIMENSION ~ TOWARDS THE MYSTERIUM NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 809812012122) ~ USA ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 2008 Released: 2008 1st album by US Prog trio led by keyboardist Jimmy PittsFind albums by this artist, who also composed almost all the music on the album, with bassist Jerry TwyfordFind albums by this artist and drummer Alex ArellanoFind albums by this artist. The music is a very ambitious musical suite, comprised of 17 miniatures, which pays homage to the Russian pianist / composer / philosopher / mystic Alexander ScriabinFind albums by this artist. Scriabin was of course one the most interesting and forward-thinking composers of the late 19th / early 20th Century, and who had an immense influence on the development of modern Classical Music, especially atonal / twelve-tone music developed later in the 20th Century by Arnold SchoenbergFind albums by this artist, Alban BergFind albums by this artist, Anton WebernFind albums by this artist, Hanns EislerFind albums by this artist, Milton BabbittFind albums by this artist, Luciano BerioFind albums by this artist, Pierre BoulezFind albums by this artist and Igor StravinskyFind albums by this artist. Scriabin, who died unexpectedly at the age of 43, left an unfinished piece he was working on, called "Mysterium", which was an epitome of his aesthetic and mystical beliefs. As the title of the album suggests, Pitts and his cohorts try to develop a piece of music, which perhaps could have been written by Scriabin, if he was alive today. Although such an undertaking might look mockingly way too ambitious, to my pleasant surprise they managed to fulfill their ambitions extremely well. The music is truly excellent, full of twists and turns, yet beautifully coherent, bearing many references to modern Classical Music, but incorporating musical techniques from Rock and Jazz. Often devilishly complex and tricky, the trio manages to perform the music flawlessly, which of course demands almost total control of their instruments. In order to expand the album´s tonality and instrumental depth, the group invited about a dozen of their friends / musicians (mostly guitarists), each contributing a brief solo on several of the pieces, adding mostly ornamentation rather than substance. Several of the guitar solos have a slight "metallic" tinge, which might lead for this album to be classified as Prog Metal (as I´ve observed in some of the album´s reviews); well those who do so simply miss the point by a mile. The usage of instruments is completely meaningless and if this music was performed by a Classical ensemble (which seems like a good idea), it would still be the same – a superb example of intelligent, contemporary music, a rare gem on the dreary plane of musical refuse that mostly surrounds us all. The fact that such exceptional music was created by young musicians, who are not only very talented, but who also know who Scriabin was, not to mention knowing his music (an extremely rare manifestation of respect towards the European Classical Music heritage, especially among Americans), makes them a great example for others to follow (not that I have many illusions as to this becoming a reality). Overall this is a stunning debut, worthy of a respectful position among the best Prog albums produced in the last decade, although the open-minded listeners of contemporary Classical music might have a field day with it as well. Kudos and I can´t wait for the group´s next effort, hoping they can sustain the same level of excellence.

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ULRICH GUMPERT ~ `N TANGO FUR GITTI EDEL CONTENT 4029759080626 (Barcode: 4029759080626) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz Recorded: 1982 Released: 2012 This is a reissue (first time on CD) of the solo piano album by the East German Jazz pianist / composer Ulrich GumpertFind albums by this artist. It presents five original compositions, all by Gumpert. Gumpert, who was active on the East German Jazz scene in such diverse environments as Jazz-Rock Fusion and Free Jazz / Improvised Music, shows on this album his more lyrical side, playing his compositions with are based on clear melodic themes and than expanded into lengthy free form improvisations. The music moves between modern Jazz and contemporary Classical forms, full of highly sensitive and emotional gestures. Experienced listeners will find here traces of influences and quotes of phrases by such diverse piano Masters / composers as Thelonious MonkFind albums by this artist, Erik SatieFind albums by this artist and the German born Austrian / Jewish composer Hanns EislerFind albums by this artist (whose fascinating life story is a must read). Gumpert incorporates all these influences subtly, but lovingly, creating his own unique amalgam. Although complex and intellectually demanding this music is also accessible due to its lyrical and melodic nature. Therefore modern piano music connoisseurs, regardless of their genre of choice, should find this music fascinating and highly rewarding. In retrospect the music lost nothing of its power and charm and is still a superb listening experience. Side Note: As all the East European countries under the Socialist regime, East Germany, or DDR as it was known at the time, had only one state owned and controlled Music Company, which released most of its productions on the AmigaFind albums on this label label. Among the many Amiga releases the legendary "orange J" series was dedicated to Jazz recordings, many of which were licenses from the West, but others were original productions, mostly of Jazz made in DDR. Some of these releases, like the one described above, were absolute gems. Following the unification of Germany, the Amiga albums disappeared from the face of the earth and only in 2012 a German label reissued 15 Amiga Jazz albums on CD. They are all worth checking out!

Updated: 11/05/2016Posted: 20/03/2016

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MARCIN WASILEWSKI TRIO ~ FAITHFUL ECM 2208 (Barcode: 602527591056) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2010 Released: 2011 This is the second album released on the ECMFind albums on this label label by the great Polish piano trio, led by pianist / composer Marcin WasilewskiFind albums by this artist with bassist Slawomir KurkiewiczFind albums by this artist and drummer Michal MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist. The trio used to be called Simple Acoustic TrioFind albums by this artist and released several albums under that name before someone (at ECM?) decided to put the leader´s name up front, which seems hardy fair or appropriate after so many years they played together under that name. But setting such trivia as marketing tactics and ego trips aside, the music made by these wonderful musicians is as usual outstanding. Of the ten tracks present here, Wasilewski composed five and the others are by such diverse composers as Ornette ColemanFind albums by this artist, Hermeto PascoalFind albums by this artist or the German composer Hanns EislerFind albums by this artist. The music is played with flair and panache, but slightly lacks the adventurous streak I personally always look for. One might have thought that after years of playing with Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, some of his magic would have rubbed off. Nevertheless both technically and emotionally this is as near perfection as one can expect from a "well behaved" album, and the above comments do not reflect negatively on this beautiful piece of music and the exceptional music-making captured herein. Always melodic, even in the heat of improvisation, with a wonderful support from the bassist and gentle but accurate input from the drummer, this music simply sounds great, especially when so well recorded. Listeners, who enjoyed the trio´s previous output, will definitely not be disappointed, with a good chance for many new followers discovering them here. Visitors' Comments Christopher  Brice I think they get better and better!

Updated: 19/09/2018Posted:

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