Quantcast
NEWS |   Sign In   |   I'm New Here
Return to home page





In Between Moods
Tony Foster
This Heart of Mine
Pamela Hines
Go and Find
Leanne Weatherly
Arms Full Of Roses
Robyn Hayle
Shambhala
Susan Wylde
Moods
Michaela Rabitsch & Robert Pawlik Quartet








Pete McCann
Info | Enter
Gretchen Parlato
Info | Enter
Henry Threadgill
Info | Enter
Keith Jarrett
Info | Enter

Songs of Synastry and Solitude
Jessica Pavone | Tzadik (2009)


By Troy Collins
Comments        

Violist and composer Jessica Pavone has been a fixture on the New York scene for over a decade. Her work alongside Anthony Braxton, Mary Halvorson and Taylor Ho Bynum has been well documented, revealing her skills as an inventive interpreter and improviser. Her own writing, on the other hand, has only been selectively recorded, and is often shared with collaborators like Halvorson and released on small independent labels.

Songs of Synastry and Solitude is Pavone's highest profile release as a composer to date, demonstrating her flair as a lyrical writer and supple orchestrator. Featuring four members of the Toomai String Quintet, Pavone arranges eleven engaging miniatures for an unconventional string quartet of violin, viola, cello and double bass, embracing the widest range of tonalities the format affords.

Influenced in part by Leonard Cohen's Songs of Love and Hate (Columbia, 1970), many of these tuneful pieces were inspired by folk, gospel, and soul, rather than traditional Western classical forms. Eschewing the atonal dissonances championed by the serialists, Pavone instead embraces time-honored string quartet techniques to render these compact meditations—including counterpoint, syncopation, equal interplay, unison themes, octave leaps and rubato tempos. Though inspired by folk music, these pieces still bear the influence of classical forms, especially the innovations of the Romantic composers—more so than traditional blues, jazz or rock structures.

The lush harmonies of "Here And Now, Then And Gone" and the understated counterpoint of "Darling Options" summon emotional resonance worthy of the Romantic era, while the austere chorale sensibility of "It's Come To This" conjures a spiritual air reminiscent of Arvo Part's hypnotic post-minimalism. The subtle double- stops of "Once Again," the languid waltz-time of "There's No Way To Say," and the sweeping legato melody of "Waiting Room" are indicative of the album as a whole, offering stately ruminations with concise economy. Only "Ruala" and "Hope Dawson Is Missing" flirt with harsh angles and thorny intervals, enriching their underlying drama with subtle dissonances akin to Beethoven's late period string quartets.

A straightforward contemplation on the power of song, Songs of Synastry and Solitude is a timeless collection of elegant themes from a young composer of significant merit.

Jessica Pavone at All About Jazz.
Visit Jessica Pavone on the web.


Track listing: Here And Now, Then And Gone; Darling Options; Once Again; There's No Way To Say; Housework; It's Come To This; Ruala; Waiting Room; Wednesday's Rules; The Harbinger; Hope Dawson Is Missing.

Personnel: Amie Weiss: violin; Erin Wight: viola; John Popham: cello; Andrew Roitstein: double-bass.

Style: Classical
Published: October 21, 2009


Be the first to post a comment on:
Jessica Pavone's Songs of Synastry and Solitude

Signup & post a comment!






More articles by Troy Collins

Femina
Annular Gift
A Single Sky
Snow Road
Circle Down




Recent CD Reviews
Hank Jones / Oliver Jones - Pleased To Meet You Hank Jones / Oliver Jones
Pleased To Meet You
David Murray and the Gwo ka Masters - The Devil Tried To Kill Me David Murray and the Gwo ka Masters
The Devil Tried To Kill Me
Fela Kuti - The Best Of The Black President Fela Kuti
The Best Of The Black President
Jakko M. Jakszyk - Waves Sweep the Sand Jakko M. Jakszyk
Waves Sweep the Sand
James Moody - 4A James Moody
4A
Christian Wallumrod Ensemble - Fabula Suite Lugano Christian Wallumrod Ensemble
Fabula Suite Lugano

CD Review Search
Artist Name  
Album Title  
Record Label  
Author  
 




 
(30)













Joe Locke & Geoffrey Keezer Group
The King

More Videos


.. Privacy Policy | AAJ Supports: Lens Lady All material copyright © 2009 All About Jazz and/or contributing writer/visual artist. All rights reserved. Advertise | Contact Us