Frank Woeste Archive

Ryan Keberle and Frank Woeste – Reverso-Suite Ravel – Phono Art

by Audiophile Audition | Jun 15, 2018 | Jazz CD Reviews

Modern jazz inspired by classicalism. Ryan Keberle and Frank Woeste – Reverso–Suite Ravel [TrackList follows] – Phono Art/Alternate Side, Ref Phonoart 001, 53:40 [2/9/18] ****: (Ryan Keberle – trombone, co-producer; Frank Woeste – piano, co-producer; Vincent Courtois – cello; Jeff Ballard – drums) Classical music and jazz have become intertwined over the decades, from Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” to Miles Davis’ 1960 LP Sketches of Spain (the opening piece is based on Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez), as well as the Modern Jazz Quartet’s 1973 record Blues on Bach and many more examples. Trombonist Ryan Keberle and pianist Frank Woeste’s 53-minute Reverso – Suite Ravel is easily this year’s best classical/jazz hybrid project. The 11 tracks are primarily inspired by Ravel’s six-part solo piano suite “Le tombeau de Couperin,” written between 1914 and 1917. Keberle and Woeste do not recreate Ravel’s suite, rather they utilize the Baroque-inspired material as a starting place for their own compositions, six composed by Woeste, three by Keberle and two listed as collectively improvised. The music hints at Ravel and sometimes suggests Ravel’s underlying parameters. The CD liner notes reveal Ravel was no stranger to jazz. During a 1928 US tour, Ravel stated, […]