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Kaleidoscope
Ari & Cecil Alexander
Label: Self Produced
Released: 2026
Duration: 00:42:00
Views: 471
Tracks
Kaleidoscope; Me After You; Cozy; East of the Sun; It's Grand, It's Weird; Celia; Nobody Else But Me; Till There Was You; Tea For Two; What Do You Know.
Personnel
Ari & Cecil Alexander
band / ensemble / orchestra
Cecil Alexander
guitarRob Linton
bass, acousticDanny McGonegle
drums
Ari Alexander
piano and vocalsAlbum Description
Ari and Cecil Alexander wrote the title track "Kaleidoscope" just before their tour in 2025, and it set a rhythmic post-bop tone for their album. The record stands out as a true co-led collaboration between guitarist Cecil and vocalist/pianist Ari, rather than a standard vocal jazz record with occasional solos.
The track "It's Grand, It's Weird," showcases a playful, absurd take on love. It features the memorable opening lines, "It's grand, it's weird, we've rearranged each other, but still haven't changed. You're the only one I could ever love." Inspired by Betty Carter and 1960's hard bop, the arrangement seamlessly jumps between angular hits, swinging grooves, and a smooth mambo, capped off with dynamic solos from both Cecil and Ari.
Since Cecil and Ari are married, many assume all of our music is about love. And yes, much of the album encompasses either slightly silly reflections on love like their original "it's grand, it's weird" and the Jerome Kern standard "Nobody Else but me" or fairly earnest reflections such as the Meredith Willson classic "till there was you," or even the the idyllic backdrop of love which is the main theme in both "tea for two" and the stripped down hip hop interpretation of "East of the sun (west of the moon)." However, the record also has big questions about what it means to create something and what it means to be an individual. This especially comes across on the Bud Powell tune "Celia" that Ari wrote lyrics to as well as the original "What Do You Know" that's about pacing through Manhattan trying to outwalk writer's block.
Album uploaded by Cecil Alexander
Review(s)
- Kaleidoscope by Katchie Cartwright
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