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