Melody of Night

Pianist Keith Jarrett goes it alone on The Melody at Night, With You. No stranger to solo recitals, here Jarrett tackles familiar standards along with a few traditional pieces and as we come to expect, the performances are near flawless. Part of the beauty and majesty of it all lies within Jarrett's penchant for understatement and ebullience while possessing an astounding sense of depth and range. Throughout this recording, Jarrett has seemingly decided to forego any semblance of dramatics as he vividly sets the scenario for the listener along with the partner of his or her choice as they may sit in front of a soft burning fire under dim lights.

Melody Gardot's 2006 debut, Worrisome Heart, was greeted with warmly enthusiastic reviews that never failed to mention Gardot's musical similarities to Norah Jones and Madeleine Peyroux, or her sadly compelling story of surviving a severe hit-and-run accident at the age of 19. The tragedy gave critics an irresistible hook, and the musical similarities which also include her vocal resemblance to Fiona Apple's smoky tones gave new listeners a familiar touchstone, but both merely provided an entry into a fine, accomplished debut.

Immortal Souls is a melodic death metal band from Finland. This country is well-known for its amazing melodic death metal bands such as Children of Bodom, Kalmah, Norther, etc., but Immortal Souls are playing quite different music than these bands. They know how to make melodic sounds along with brutal and groove riffs…

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…