Album Review: This Way from Tom Ranier
Album: This Way Artist: Tom Ranier Website: https://tomranier.com This Way , the latest release from Tom Ranier is a balm on the listener's senses. He composed six of the eight tunes on the recording and plays the piano and synthesizer, as well as soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxes. His music tells stories through images projected in the instrumentation. Joined by Trey Henry on acoustic and electric basses, Ralph Humphrey on drums, and Thom Rotella on guitar, Ranier's music is easy listening jazz imbuing audiences with a natural high. The pensive strokes of his keys coasting along "Yes, Kloose" move at a languid pace transitioning into the melodic wisps of Randy Brecker’s signature piece "Secret Heart," trelised in the tender crimping of Rotella's guitar strings. Ranier creates a introspective-style monologue along "Trio Vision" that gives audiences insight into the thoughts roaming through his mind, then conveys a somber mood in ...