Common Sense Tone Sequences For Contemporary Jazz Improvisation

The pianist, two days in the studio, alone at the piano. A retreat in Zurich. Focus is on the now, the recording is running. Preparation time for the new compositions: about a year. Getting attuned to the music: a lifetime. Alexander von Schlippenbach, Slow Pieces For Aki, the emphasis being on the word “slow,” not on rediscovering slowness but discovering slowness anew - dedicated to his wife Aki Takase. with slow pieces, short pieces, compositions in which every single note demands the highest degree of attention, virtuosity shifts from the purely technical to the actual notes themselves, avoiding all irrel - evancies. Sounds that are able to glow in the dark and form themselves into star signs. it is not only Jazz and new Music that appear from far away, but also classical and romantic music, always reflected by the personality, the life and playing experience of Alexander von Schlippenbach. From my subjective point of view, dare i suggest, there is a certain serious lyricism. Slow, full of passion and filled with dedication to the music.

The neo-noir textures of Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava's fine ECM release, New York Days, recall evocative, jazz-based film scores such as Gato Barbieri's Last Tango in Paris or Miles Davis's Elevator to the Gallows. Joined by a stellar cast, including the fine pianist Stefano Bollani, contemporary tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, and the apparently ageless Paul Motian on drums, Rava conjures a rain-soaked, black-and-white urban fantasia on a finely produced, 77-minute set of moody originals. Rava, Turner, and Bollani are all strong stylists, however, so there is little danger of their being fully submerged in the impressionistic dark waters. At times, the sound resembles the post-bop chamber jazz of Miles's celebrated '60s quintet, at others, the upscale European strains of film composer Nino Rota or tango master Astor Piazzolla. Either way, New York Days is one of the outstanding jazz releases of 2009.

Terri Lyne Carrington's dual identity as an extraordinary progressive jazz drummer and powerful in-the-pocket groove driver has been presented on her previous recordings. While straddling those lines appeals to different audiences, this CD reverts back to her more commercial roots from 20 years ago, centering on the contemporary, rhythm & blues oriented side of music from an instrumental standpoint.

When Tomasz Stanko first started working with a trio of Polish teenagers in 1994 - Marcin Wasilewski, piano; Slawomir Kurkiewicz, bass; Michal Miskiewicz, drums - on film projects and live gigs inside his native land, he might have glimpsed, but surely never fully conceived of, the sound that the quartet's relationship would offer a decade later. Suspended Night, on ECM, follows the hugely successful Soul of Things on the same label. It is only the second international offering from this group, but the flowering and maturation of this creative relationship are nothing if not utterly stunning. This ensemble has developed its own bravely compelling yet tonally accessible voice in articulating Stanko's unique compositional language; it is one that opens up the jazz tradition from the inside in startling and wonderful new directions…

The neo-noir textures of Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava's fine ECM release, New York Days, recall evocative, jazz-based film scores such as Gato Barbieri's Last Tango in Paris or Miles Davis's Elevator to the Gallows. Joined by a stellar cast, including the fine pianist Stefano Bollani, contemporary tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, and the apparently ageless Paul Motian on drums, Rava conjures a rain-soaked, black-and-white urban fantasia on a finely produced, 77-minute set of moody originals. Rava, Turner, and Bollani are all strong stylists, however, so there is little danger of their being fully submerged in the impressionistic dark waters. At times, the sound resembles the post-bop chamber jazz of Miles's celebrated '60s quintet, at others, the upscale European strains of film composer Nino Rota or tango master Astor Piazzolla. Either way, New York Days is one of the outstanding jazz releases of 2009.

When Tomasz Stanko first started working with a trio of Polish teenagers in 1994 - Marcin Wasilewski, piano; Slawomir Kurkiewicz, bass; Michal Miskiewicz, drums - on film projects and live gigs inside his native land, he might have glimpsed, but surely never fully conceived of, the sound that the quartet's relationship would offer a decade later. Suspended Night, on ECM, follows the hugely successful Soul of Things on the same label. It is only the second international offering from this group, but the flowering and maturation of this creative relationship are nothing if not utterly stunning. This ensemble has developed its own bravely compelling yet tonally accessible voice in articulating Stanko's unique compositional language; it is one that opens up the jazz tradition from the inside in startling and wonderful new directions…