Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Marc Riordan Quartet: Binoculars

3

Marc Riordan Quartet: Binoculars

By

Sign in to view read count
Marc Riordan Quartet: Binoculars
Question: when is a pianist-led recording also a drummer's record? That query, as it relates to pianist Marc Riordan's Binoculars, is not poised as a Zen koan, because there is an answer.

The correct response: when the pianist is a drummer.

Riordan, an up-and-coming percussionist in the Chicago music scene, can be heard in bands led by bassist Jason Ajemian, saxophonist Aram Shelton and cornetist Josh Berman, and the prog/punk band Wishgift. In the improvising unit Tres Hongos, with trumpeter Jacob Wick and drummer Frank Rosaly, he plays piano, as he does here.

Riordan's quartet includes fellow Chicagoan, drummer Tim Daisy, alto saxophonist Peter Hanson, and bassist Daniel Thatcher. Like drummer Jack DeJohnette before him, Riordan is a fine pianist. Binoculars is made up of seven original tunes, all reflecting an unmistakably percussive attack not unlike that of pianist Thelonious Monk.

As a composer he excels at making seemingly complex music from very similar melodies, not unlike Monk or fellow pianists Elmo Hope and Herbie Nichols. On "Funometer," the band states and reworks Riordan's theme, the pianist poking and prodding the melody as Daisy dials up the heat and intensity, forcing Hanson to wriggle and twitch to the point of meltdown, eventually returning to the theme. That pattern is repeated throughout on "Magnetic Personality" and "On The 6th." Riordan's straightforward pieces implore his quartet to deconstruct, refurbish and, eventually, reconstruct the melody.

The slower-paced "Lesson Learned" channels Monk's "Monks Mood" and gently swings the pianist's conceptions. Maybe it's because this is a drummer's piano record that Daisy's drum kit is mixed forward in the sound, highlighting the percussive nature of the music, focusing Riordan's intensions.

The lone cover is a bit of the obscure. Monk's "A Merrier Christmas" fits nicely into this outing because it's congruous with Riordon's approach. Played with a melancholy tinge, the quartet stammers across the melody with gorgeous, Monk-like pronunciation.

Track Listing

Little Dog; Funometer; Lesson Learned; Magnetic Personality; Binoculars; On The 6th; A Merrier Christmas; I’ll Text You.

Personnel

Marc Riordan: piano; Peter Hanson: alto saxophone; Daniel Thatcher: bass; Tim Daisy: drums.

Album information

Title: Binoculars | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: Self Produced

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Fiesta at Caroga
Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective
Fellowship
David Gibson
Immense Blue
Olie Brice / Rachel Musson / Mark Sanders

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.