Matt Herskowitz Archive

Matt Herskowitz, solo piano – Upstairs – Justin TimeJan Lungren, solo piano – The Man in the Fog – Bee Jazz

by John Sunier | Mar 21, 2013 | Jazz CD Reviews

Matt Herskowitz, solo piano – Upstairs – [TrackList follows] Justin Time  JUST 249-2 ****: Jan Lungren, solo piano – The Man in the Fog [TrackList follows] Bee Jazz BEE 049. 49:09 ****: We all know and appreciate by now that it takes some courage to do a solo unaccompanied piano album today, and both of these artists have it down successfully.  Record live at a bar & grill in Montreal last year, the Herskowitz CD is another jazz-meets-classical effort, but unlike some, this one works. The pianist has the daring to take items such as Robert Schumann, Bach, the Gershwins and Dave Brubeck, and make them work beautifully in the jazz idiom. The longest track is the over 12-minute “Bella’s Lament,” which is from a musical theater production and has nothing to do with Bartok. It’s one of two originals by Herskowitz. Michel Petrucciani’s “Cantabile” is an unusual and lovely choice. There’s an amazing improvisational trip on “Bach a la Jazz,” which uses the composer’s Prelude in C Minor. Two Gershwin selections round out the CD, which has excellent piano sonics, recorded originally at 96K/24-bit. TrackList: Dziekuje, Waltz in Moscow, Cantabile, Bela’s Lament, Bach a la Jazz, But Not for […]