In social settings I am often asked "What are you listening to lately?" I'll admit that sometimes I wish I could rattle off a list of musicians and recordings that wouldn't be met with a blank stare, requiring an explanation of who they are and what they do. My current listening is no exception.
I recently read Lloyd Peterson's book, "Music and the Creative Spirit. Innovators in Jazz, Improvisation, and the Avant Garde." It is a collection of interviews with many established creative improvisors. Many of the same questions were posed to the various artists, and it was fascinating to read about their creative processes, sources of inspiration, artistic visions, views on the future of jazz, observations regarding societal trends, etc.
In the instances where I especially enjoyed the interviewee's responses but wasn't familiar with their work, I went to the library and ordered some discs via inter-library loan. For the past couple of weeks I have immersed myself in recordings by pianist Marilyn Crispell. I found the following discs to represent a variety of musical contexts:
I had assumed that Crispell's music would be challenging, atonal listening. Most of it wasn't. It is music that demands one's full attention and "leaves your ears tired" after listening to an entire disc. In her playing and writing, I think she achieves a nice balance between the cerebral and spiritual. [Isn't this the goal of all great musicians?] From disc to disc, it is apparent that she has a cohesive, mature artistic vision/style. At times I wished she could coerce a warmer, more beautiful tone from the piano, but overall I think she is a fine pianist. She isn't a flashy, dominating player, and perhaps for this reason my focus tended to zoom in on Peacock and Motion when listening to the trio disc.
By far, my favorite disc of the bunch was Anders Jormin's "In Winds, In Light". Crispell plays with impeccable taste which beautifully complements the other players. The instrumentation is unusual, but it works! The church organ textures are gorgeous. The percussion is sparse, creative and refined. The vocals give it a vulnerable, human quality. This is a disc I will be adding to my personal collection. Here is a link to thorough review of the disc by John Kelman, on the All About Jazz website.
Next on my list of "Musicians to Check Out": guitarist Fred Frith.
In the instances where I especially enjoyed the interviewee's responses but wasn't familiar with their work, I went to the library and ordered some discs via inter-library loan. For the past couple of weeks I have immersed myself in recordings by pianist Marilyn Crispell. I found the following discs to represent a variety of musical contexts:
- Vignettes, a solo piano disc (2008).
- Amaryllis, a trio disc with bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Paul Motion (2001).
- One Dark Night I Left My Silent House, a duo recording with clarinetist David Rothenberg (2010).
- In Winds, In Light, a disc by bassist Anders Jormin on which Crispell appears with vocalist, Lena Willemark, church organist, Karin Nelson and percussionist, Raymond Strid (2004).
I had assumed that Crispell's music would be challenging, atonal listening. Most of it wasn't. It is music that demands one's full attention and "leaves your ears tired" after listening to an entire disc. In her playing and writing, I think she achieves a nice balance between the cerebral and spiritual. [Isn't this the goal of all great musicians?] From disc to disc, it is apparent that she has a cohesive, mature artistic vision/style. At times I wished she could coerce a warmer, more beautiful tone from the piano, but overall I think she is a fine pianist. She isn't a flashy, dominating player, and perhaps for this reason my focus tended to zoom in on Peacock and Motion when listening to the trio disc.
By far, my favorite disc of the bunch was Anders Jormin's "In Winds, In Light". Crispell plays with impeccable taste which beautifully complements the other players. The instrumentation is unusual, but it works! The church organ textures are gorgeous. The percussion is sparse, creative and refined. The vocals give it a vulnerable, human quality. This is a disc I will be adding to my personal collection. Here is a link to thorough review of the disc by John Kelman, on the All About Jazz website.Next on my list of "Musicians to Check Out": guitarist Fred Frith.
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