Album Review: Wide Awake from Adam Glaser Trio

-

Album:  Wide Awake
Artist:  Adam Glaser Trio
Label: Self-Released
Website:  www.adamglaser.com

An assortment of standards like Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart's timeless tune "My Romance" and Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox's classic pop song "I Got A Name" move alongside originals inspired by masters like Igor Stravinsky and Robert Schumann on Adam Glaser Trio's latest release Wide Awake. Led by pianist Adam Glaser, the trio is rounded out by Pete Coco on bass and Chris Smith on drums. The trio string together a collection of varying tempos from waltzes to sambas. Latin flavors are sprinkles throughout the recording, sprucing up the orchestral components and offering a gentle sprint in the rhythmic patterns. 

"If You Don't Mind" is a prime sample of the trio's use of Glaser's Latin-tinged keys, which enliven the rhythmic beat to a warm samba.  The waltzing strokes of Glaser's keys along "November" bring out the glistening vibrations of the piano, joined by the slow rising pumps of Coco's bass and the sashaying beats of Smith's drums.  The trio's reimagination of "I Got A Name" embellish the catchy phrasing with spurts of improvisation in Glaser's keys, tiered by the shimmying cadence of the bass and drums.

"Day Trip To Cologne" is an intricate piece, changing moods from sombre to upbeat.  Inspired by composer Robert Schumann, the instrumental moves through stages, shifting the ambience seamlessly between contrasting hues.  Smith's drum solo is energizing and galvanizes the listener.  Succinctly, "Before The Dawn" returns to a gentle flowing musing in the keys, boosting a waltzing phrasing through the melodic progressions.  "Sacrificial Rhumba" has a Westside Story-like strut that travels from an intense tugging and pulling going on among the trio that transitions into an easygoing mambo gait.  The recording concludes with the trio's rendition of "My Romance," showcasing their simpatico natures and penchant for elegant phrasing.

Wide Awake is another chapter in Glaser's catalog of accomplishments, displaying his inclination to take instrumentals off on tangents and out of their familiar routines.  Glaser's lengthy repertoire as a composer and leader features both vintage and contemporary pieces with his latest offering embracing both time periods and blurring the line between them.

Musicians:
Adam Glaser - piano
Pete Coco - bass
Chris Smith - drums

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Album Review: Becoming Marlene Dietrich from Myriam Phiro

-
Image
Album:  Becoming Marlene Dietrich Artist:  Myriam Phiro Label:  Self-Released Website:  www.myriamphiro.com Smooth jazz vocalist Myriam Phiro introduces a new generation of music listeners to jazz standards that made Marlene Dietrich famous in her time from the 1920's to 1940's with Phiro's new release Becoming Marlene Dietrich .  Although Phiro immerses herself in melodies that had been Dietrich's trademark tunes, Phiro tailors the songs to her likeness.  Her illustrious mezzo-soprano register is higher on the vocal spectrum than Dietrich's contralto pitch, which stamps the tracks with her own unique nuances and inflections.  Her treatment of the verses is finessed with a distinctly soft, feminine touch and a delightfully, hypnotic resonance, setting her style apart from Dietrich's. Her vocals cradle the lyrics of "Quand L’Amour Meurt," written by Georges Crémieux and Octave Millandy, with a warmth that penetrates the listener's soul as Hyuna Park...
Read more

Album Review: The Ways In from James Zollar

-
Image
Album:  The Ways In Artist:  James Zollar Label:  Label: JZAZ Records Websites:  https://www.rsberkeley.com/james-zollar https://www.discogs.com/artist/954763-James-Zollar https://wyntonmarsalis.org/personnel/detail/james-zollar A straight-ahead jazz oeuvre, The Ways In from bandleader and trumpet player James Zollar resumes a quest where pioneers of the trumpet's sympathetic vibrations like Clifford Brown and Bill Coleman left off.  Zollar shows audiences the delightful, melodious tone of the trumpet, moving in harmony with an array of brass, woodwinds, and rhythm instruments. The robust wails of Zollar's trumpet strutting languidly along "Do Nothing 'till You Hear From Me" emotes an enduring personable trait, unwavering persistence in the face of being dejected.  The recording switches to a joyful atmosphere in "Swing Spring" with jangly beats from percussionist Chembo Corniel, interfacing with the buoyant ripples generated by Michael Rorby's trom...
Read more

Album Review: Globetrotter from Luca di Luzio

-
Image
Album:  Globetrotter Artist:  Luca di Luzio Label:  Self-Released Website:  www.lucadiluzio.it   Guitarist Luca di Luzio's upcoming CD, Globetrotter  is an assortment of contemporary jazz tunes bridging funk, blues, soul, and Latin music.  Comprised of a few jazz standards and a handful of original works written by Luca di Luzio, a prolific guitar player who studied different styles of music, the recording expresses his personal vision of jazz guitar based on melody and groove.  Joining Di Luzio in his vision are bass guitarist Jimmy Haslip, drummer Dave Wecki, keyboardist George Whitty, and saxophonists Max Ionata and Alessandro Fariselli. From dance-funk numbers like "Jazzlife" and "Elisir" to the soft billows and reflective moods projected in "Smile" and " Buena Suerte," Di Luzio's artistry stems from his vision to make music that is aesthetically pleasing.  "Sunshower," a tune written by Kenny Barron, is a pr...
Read more