Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Chris Gestrin: Stillpoint

110

Chris Gestrin: Stillpoint

By

Sign in to view read count
Chris Gestrin: Stillpoint
There's a sense of unquiet about Chris Gestrin's Songlines debut, Stillpoint. As for the quiet part, the pianist and his quintet do spend quite a bit of time perusing the open spaces of tranquility and distance. This is not a loud record. Gestrin's solo piece "This Past Tuesday" has a strongly meditative quality, sounding like a slowed-down John Taylor attuned to Bartok. But it, like so many softer moments on the record, is surrounded by eerie streaks of light and sharpness. It's this conscious juxtaposition of constrasting emotional dynamics that distinguishes Gestrin's work. His approach should entrance open-minded listeners (though perhaps bewilder the rest). Read on if you fall in the former category.

The quintet is organized around traditional jazz instrumentation: piano, trumpet, saxophone, bass, drums. But everyone in the group except bassist André Lachance also periodically plugs into the electronic effects which constantly thread through the music—whether through altered tones, as with the plaintive, iridescent saxophone on "Words Along A Wire," or the outright unidentifiable swishes and thuds scattered throughout "Complex One/City." These tools integrate seamlessly into the music, contributing at all levels. The fourth track relies upon periodic strikes of thunder as guideposts to mark short instrumental washes of sound. A light tinkling in the background suggests insects chirping in the night. Uneasy? Yes. But the combination goes far beyond the relentlessly unpredictable dynamics of British free improv, for example. It's far too organized, despite its regular surprises and suggestions. That makes it simultaneously more accessible and more connected to the specific elements that Gestrin brings together: ambient, electronic, traditional jazz, free improv, and modern classical.

While the group certainly functions as a very productive and integrated unit, it's clear that the vision behind Stillpoint is singular. In a very postmodern sense Gestrin seeks to bring together some unusual combinations and create something genuinely new. His effort is extremely successful.

Those with the equipment to enjoy this disc's audiophile SACD encoding have an advantage in appreciating the multi-dimensional nature of this production, though it works fine on regular systems.

Visit Songlines Recordings on the web.

Track Listing

Stillpoint; Never Summer Range; Outpost; Complex One/City; This Past Tuesday; Words Along A Wire; Movement And Perspective; Cliffs And Clouds; My Painted Dream Bird; Interview With A Child; 2.23 Restart; Shades of Night Descending.

Personnel

Chris Gestrin: piano, synthesizer, sampler, electronics; Brad Turner: trumpet, flugelhorn, electronics; Jon Bentley: tenor & soprano saxophones, bass clarinet, electronics; Andr

Album information

Title: Stillpoint | Year Released: 2003 | Record Label: Songlines Recordings

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

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

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