Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Kurt Rosenwinkel Standards Trio: Reflections

412

Kurt Rosenwinkel Standards Trio: Reflections

By

Sign in to view read count
Kurt Rosenwinkel Standards Trio: Reflections
A warm and understated trio record, Kurt Rosenwinkel's Reflections zeroes in on an approach to standard repertoire, marking an interesting career turn for the guitarist in the process. With support from drummer Eric Harland and bassist Eric Revis, the six-string innovator opens a window to another side of his playing, featuring quiet meditations on the blues, ballads, and swing.

It's a curious listening experience, coming long after Rosenwinkel has already established an original voice as a composer and player. The guitarist's previous five albums have largely featured his own songs, beginning with The Enemies of Energy (Verve, 2000) through The Remedy: Live at the Village Vanguard (ArtistShare, 2008). As pianist Ethan Iverson writes in Reflections' thoughtful liner notes, these albums—and Rosenwinkel's legendary 1990s live sets with saxophonist Mark Turner—created a buzz that made the guitarist one of the leading contemporary influences in jazz.

But Reflections also exists on its own, without all the much-deserved hype of Rosenwinkel's past discography. Investigating two tunes each by Thelonious Monk and Wayne Shorter, as well as three classic American Songbook selections, Rosenwinkel isn't necessarily making any grand statements here. He is, however, capturing a mood that displays what Iverson astutely calls "soulful distortion." Rosenwinkel digs deep to find the kernels of emotional truth in each composition, placing greater emphasis on the poetry of shape, texture, and narrative than the techniques of chords, meters, or harmonies.

The guitarist's buttery tone is smeared over the subtle accompaniment of his rhythm section mates, with all the tunes registering in either ballad range or an easy medium-low simmer. The latter is represented with a hip-hop take on Shorter's "Fall," where Harland provides a little bounce by doing his best Questlove impression, as the trio gives props to Rosenwinkel's Philadelphia roots.

A lengthy exposition of Monk's "Reflections" takes care to explore its subtle intricacies; the guitarist plays successive choruses that never stray too far from the pensive melody. Revis plucks out a short solo before the band takes the ballad into the kind of bright, walking mid-tempo that the composer favored. Similarly, Rosenwinkel stays faithful to the melody of "Ask Me Know," strumming with a unique sense of stuttered phrasing, showing the influence of Monk's spirit but never aping it.

Another smooth move is Rosenwinkel's inclusion of a standard of his own, "East Coast Love Affair," originally recorded on his debut album of the same name (Fresh Sound New Talent, 1996). It fits alongside the other material very well, reflecting the influence of the classic tunes on Reflections while retaining the guitarist's own personal conception.

Word of Mouth Music also does a nice job of packaging the CD release. The disc is made to look like an LP; and along with a simple yet attractive gatefold cover, it makes one wish they had put it out on vinyl to serve the old-school flavor of the music itself.

Track Listing

Reflections; You Go To My Head; Fall; East Coast Love Affair; Ask Me Now; Ana Maria; More Than You Know; You've Changed.

Personnel

Kurt Rosenwinkel: guitar; Eric Revis: bass; Eric Harland: drums.

Album information

Title: Reflections | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: Wommusic

Comments

Tags

Concerts


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.