Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Greg Reitan: Post No Bills

8

Greg Reitan: Post No Bills

By

Sign in to view read count
Greg Reitan: Post No Bills
Los Angeles-based pianist/composer Greg Reitan's Some Other Time (Sunnyside Records) vied for the honors of "Debut of the Year" in 2009. Using his same trio—with bassist Jack Daro and drummer Dean Koba—Reitan followed up that auspicious start with two more outstanding sets, Antibes (2010) and Daybreak (2011), both for the Sunnyside label.

With this same trio—they have been together since 1996—he has honed an elegant and polished sound, drawing on a Bill Evans influence—the light touch, subtle dynamics, translucent harmonic beauty. Post No Bills builds on that approach, with a bit more of an edge this time around, beginning with the opening cut, Keith Jarrett's "The Mourning of a Star," laid down as pure kinetic energy, a train trundling down the tracks at a good clip, the notes and rhythms contained in a confined space and moving inexorably forward. The often-covered "Stella By Starlight" opens with the sultry stealth of a deep-in-the-bones bass solo bass that segues into breakneck pace, illuminating Stella as a fast lady indeed under the light of the stars. Chick Corea's "Windows" slides along with a brisk momentum, propelled by the Koba/Daro drive-train.

There are also reflective moments, outside of time ruminations like Joe Sample's "One Day I'll fly Away," Horace Silver's melancholy "Lonely Woman," and pianist Denny Zeitlin's pensive "After The War," and the tenderest, most beautiful take on George Gershwin's "I Loves You Porgy" imaginable, suffused with a sense of yearning.

Reitan includes three of his own top-notch compositions: "Spring," bright and hopeful; "Post No Bills," which begins with a segment of poetic introspection that gives way to a high-spirited, bump-shoulders-in-the-crowd gregariousness.

Reitan and the trio wraps up with the somber (in the beginning) "Solitude," dark and lovely, with Reitan lifting out of the into light briefly before settling back down into the dusk. A beautiful ending.

Track Listing

The Mourning of a Star; One Day I'll Fly Away; Stella By Starlight; Lonely Woman; Spring; I Loves You Porgy; Windows; After the War; Post No Bills; Solitude.

Personnel

Greg Reitan: piano; Jack Daro: bass; Dean Koba: drums.

Album information

Title: Post No Bills | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: Sunnyside Records

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

Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris
Candid
Sunny Five
Inside Colours Live
Julie Sassoon

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.