John Blum: Naked Mirror (2002)

Mark F. Turner

Senior Contributor since 2001

Considering himself a modern day 'Jazz Explorer' Mark continues to discover new and exciting music territories.

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Published: May 5, 2002

New York pianist/composer John Blum has been on the music seen for over ten years. His list of credentials is quite extensive having worked with such notables such as William Parker, Cecil Taylor, and Jackson Krall. He is well known within the circles of "free jazz" artists.

The term for the idiom free jazz should require some definition. In a loose quote from (Avant-Garde Jazz Musicians): "Free" or "free-form jazz", for instance, suggests that few guidelines are established in the music to instruct the musicians in what they will play during a performance". Boundaries may be blurred in reference to established forms such as melody, harmony, and rhythm.

John Blum's solo recording is a self-expressed work of art, where the musical borders do not exist. The piano solos are free flowing and traverse in directions and tempos that are unpredictable. The mood and tone of the recording is immensely dark. Complex chord and solo patterns reveal Blum's talent and extensive knowledge of various forms and techniques, but beware: This is not music for the faint of heart.

Track Listing: 1. Ethereal Plane 2. Rain Dark Rain 3. Heart Tumor 4. Consternation 5. Glowing, Pulsing 6. Dismal Cry 7. Silence Trickle 8. Naked Mirror

Personnel: John Blum - solo piano

Record Label: Drimala Records
Style: Modern Jazz