Album Review: Whirlwind - Live at Sam First from Max Haymer

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Album:  Whirlwind - Live at Sam First
Artist:  Max Haymer
Label:  Emerald City Records
Website:  www.maxhaymer.com

An athlete by nature, pianist/composer Max Haymer plays the keys with the same spontaneous spurts of energy and reflexive impulses as he does playing sports.  His new release Whirlwind - Live at Sam First was recorded live at Sam First, a popular Los Angeles club before the COVID-19 shutdown was enacted.  Haymer is joined by his trio consisting of David Robaire on bass and Dan Schnelle on drums.

The recording is laden with dynamic shifts and nimble strokes that reflect its title.  Comprising of six original tunes by Haymer and three standards, Haymer treats his arrangements as a dramatic form of art, where restlessness and lyricism are expressed in a narrative framework.  The tracks embody a series of stories channeled through music and shared with the listener.

Haymer opens and closes the album with two Cole Porter tunes, “So in Love” and “Love for Sale.” The former twinkles with a Latin jazz vibe swathe in a mambo flare while the latter is blanketed in bright flickering keys illuminating a swinging jazz merriment.  The title track, an original work by Haymer, is a warm torchlight waltz that lulls listeners into a peaceful state, and continues the blissful musings through Haymer's reimagination of Kurt Weil's standard "Speak Low," brandishing a tranquil serenade.  Proof of Evil” coalesces Herbie Hancock’s “Actual Proof” and Wayne Shorter’s “Speak No Evil,” as shards of both fast-paced and whirling stretches can be heard in the arrangement.

Haymer's approach to the piano reflects his athleticism. While his technique embodies his nature driven by spontaneous impulses, his aesthetics are influenced by his years performing with such artists as Arturo Sandoval and Jane Monheit.  Whirlwind follows his 2008 release, Pickpocket Witness, a production of all original tunes.

Musicians:
Max Haymer - piano
David Robaire - bass
Dan Schnelle - drums


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