Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Shimrit Shoshan: Keep It Movin’

249

Shimrit Shoshan: Keep It Movin’

By

Sign in to view read count
Shimrit Shoshan: Keep It Movin’
Paying the proverbial musical dues is part and parcel of a musician's evolution, and an unavoidable experience that can be as trying as it can be rewarding. The common jazz lore takes for granted that doing so in New York puts a musician in an altogether singular phylum in the jazz evolutionary tree. Pianist/composer Shimrit Shoshan has, since 2004, been voraciously vitaminizing her learned background in that famed city with academic studies, mentors and gigs. Enter Keep It Movin' the first mutation in her jazzy evolution.

Shoshan's success as a New York jazz transplant is apparent in her lithe writing and performances. "Shwingin'" is classic mainstream, in the pocket and cleverly under-nuanced. "Skippy," a Thelonious Monk piece, has her channeling the legendary pianist as if he had learned proper piano technique, in a delightful duo performance with drummer Eric McPherson. Shoshan clearly knows Monk, and McPherson does, too. "Under the Influence" features a head figure, with bassist Luques Curtis plucking briskly. Shoshan lays actively back, with McPherson present, yet wisely absent in a minor showcase of the pianist's variegated influences. She can pack a lot of culture in her playing without deep-throating, preceding bassist John Hébert's cool solo with some serious playfulness, followed by melodicism that resembles a beautifully delicate, yet strong wild orchid. McPherson, as usual, manages to be very much there as a coming and going mirage. Abraham Burton does very well on the two opening tracks, where Shoshan's writing seems to have been tailored made for the saxophonist.

All in all, Shoshan shows quite a bit of potential for great things to come, proving capable of keeping up with the fierce and always hyper-talented pack of jazz pianists. She is packed with mainstream ideas that clamor for channels of expression. Youthfully mature and strong, all Shoshan really needs is to gain and keep an audience. For that, dues must be paid forever.

Track Listing

Shimmy n' You; Chamsa; Secret Identity; Keep It Movin'; Shwingin'; With The Birds; Skippy; Under the Influence.

Personnel

Shimrit Shoshan: piano; Eric McPherson: drums; Abraham Burton: saxophone; John Hébert: bass (3, 4, 6); Luques Curtis: bass (1, 2, 5, 8).

Album information

Title: Keep It Movin’ | Year Released: 2011 | Record Label: Callejero Music

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

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

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