(Kenny Werner, piano, keyboards, computer; Dave Douglas, trumpet; Chris Potter, tenor sax, bass clarinet; Lenny Picket, producer, wooden flute; Scott Colley, bass; Brian Blade, drums)
Kenny Werner is a pianist of enormous depth and sensitivity. My introduction to his playing came at a Toots Thielemans concert several years ago. I was moved by the beauty and warmth of Werner’s playing and I was highly pleased with Toots’ choice of collaborator; the old master had brought along a true peer.
Werner’s latest outing is compositionally driven with influences ranging from bop to computer music to the Beatles, and more. This is definitely not a blowing session even though there are solos and all the players are strong soloists. For example, bassist Colley’s solo work on “Uncovered Heart,” a quiet piece with a bit of a pop or Broadway feel, is beautiful in tone and note choices. I felt a sense of structure and strong leadership throughout the disc.
The disc moves between modernist jazz and computer-generated sounds (including something that sounds like a George Martin/Beatles recording tape glissando). The opening cut, “Lo’s Garden,” lets the listener know that this will be a modern jazz outing with electronic elements. This reviewer has to admit to a bias against computer-generated music. So often it is cold, repetitive, overly long, and humorless. Mercifully, Werner avoids all these pitfalls – starting with the titles. “burble burble splerk” (an onomatopoetic title if there ever was one!) has typical computer-generated sounds with Douglas appropriately skittish on trumpet. This short piece is preceded by the long “The 13th Day” with its horn section statements of slightly angular melody interspersed with sprightly upper register piano figures. Then the lovely “Uncovered Heart” follows the computer/trumpet music. This approach to the sequence of the tunes gives the CD a very welcome balance.
Most of the pieces are Werner originals. But “west coast variant” is a Picket/Werner collaboration that starts out with a funky computer-generated groove that bassist Colley and saxophonist Potter join. It is a fun piece with an improvisational feel. It would be interesting to know how much the music was notated and how much was improvised. The piece ends with a brief coda that was apparently meant to refer to the West Coast cool jazz sound. It sounds to me like Werner also is familiar with the 1949 “free” cuts “Intuition” and “Digression” by pianist/leader Lennie Tristano.
Noteworthy because of the dedication of the CD to Werner’s late daughter, Katheryn, is the leader’s dirge-like “Loss.” The piece speaks to his great love and appreciation for her with its slowly moving chords and gentle comments with trap drums and other sounds. M. Acheing and A. Ogada composed the final cut, Kothbiro. The time between it and the preceding cut seems purposefully short, as if Loss is the introduction to this Japanese-flavored piece. On Kothbiro, Werner’s acoustic piano blends warmly with horns, bass and trap drums. This is not a CD of background or dinner jazz. It demands a close listening but it rewards the listener well. Highly recommended, even if you share this reviewer’s resistance to electronic music.
TrackList: Lo’s Garden, New Amsterdam, The 13th Day, burble_burble_splerk, Uncovered Heart, Inaugural Balls, west_coast_variant, Lawn Chairs (and Other Foreign Policy), Loss, Kothbiro.
– Howard Herrnstadt
