Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Jim Pearce: Thirty Year Waltz

188

Jim Pearce: Thirty Year Waltz

By

Sign in to view read count
Jim Pearce: Thirty Year Waltz
Pianist Jim Pearce has been an Atlanta resident since the early 1970s and is an accomplished songwriter. The title tune, "Thirty Year Waltz," was deemed the Outstanding Achievement in Songwriting in the 2002 Great American Songwriting Contest.

This debut recording displays eleven of Pearce's compositions. The tunes all share an attractive mainstream jazz melody with the head delivered by either unison horns or Eric Smith's flute/Pearce's piano. Pearce plays organ on "Sustaining Influence" and "Tumbling" to add texture to the songs. He also sings in a Bob Dorough hipster fashion on "Play On" and gives Smith a chance to uncork a nice tenor sax solo. Smith also get a more extensive workout on both "Soy Sauce" and "Sunday Drive."

While it is fun to hear new tunes, my biggest regret is that Jim Pearce didn't include any standards or jazz standards in this album. Inclusion of a melody that most listeners know already would have gone a long way in making a positive impression. Pearce's group is nearly flawless, providing the pulse from Burney or McMurtry on bass, Fallat on drums and Gregory's trumpet and guitar on the ballad "On the Bridge at Night."

Track Listing

Muddy River Vamp, Thirty Year Waltz, Sustaining Influence, Play On, The Heart Comes Home, Intensely Six, On the Bridge at Night, Soy Sauce, Laughing Matter, Sunday Drive

Personnel

Jim Pearce, piano, organ, vocal; Herman Burney or Ray McMurtry, bass; Paul Fallat, drums; Eric South, sax and flute; Ken Gregory, trumpet, guitar.

Album information

Title: Thirty Year Waltz | Year Released: 2004 | Record Label: Self Produced

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

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

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.