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Ran Blake: All That Is Tied
Blake performs the twelve numbers with characteristic daring. The Monk influence has grown refined over the deacdes. It began with a foregrounding of Monk's surprising dissonances and a widening of Monk's oddly placed silences. But unlike Monk, Blake brings a kind of European classical sensibility, both melodically and harmonically, to his improvisations. I've always thought he created a unique fusion of Schoenberg and Webern with Monk and black gospel. This disc adds strength to my conviction. It's austere and dramatic as only the twelve-tone row composers could bebut funny and quirky as only Monk could be.
This probably explains why Ran Blake has never remotely received the recognition that he has deserved. His music plays at the margins of what jazz piano has been historically. In a healthier cultural climate for jazz, this would be acclaimed as genius. But in today's rigidly conservative cultural atmosphere, Blake doesn't cause the needle on Wynton's "Swing-o-Meter" to wobble. Blake's music doesn't so much conventionally swing as tell a phantasmagoric tale impressionistically. The twelve compositions on this disc run together in my mind as a series of fantastic dreams flowing timelessly forward. It is a lovely introduction for those unlucky souls who haven't heard Ran Blake beforeand an ideal career retrospective for those who have.
My only minor caveat is that I don't like how the recording engineer captured Blake's piano. In fact, the so-so recorded sound brings to mind that Ran Blake's first solo album forty years ago also suffered from sub-par sound quality, although many ESP releases did. I wish ECM had recorded Blake and would do so now.
Track Listing
All That Is Tied; Breakthru; Birmingham, U.S.A.; Thursday; How
Personnel
Ran Blake
pianoRan Blake: piano.
Album information
Title: All That Is Tied | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: Tompkins Square
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