Jazz Articles about Rick Germanson

Rick Germanson Trio: Off the Cuff

by John Kelman
July 2, 2009

With so many mainstream piano trios flooding the market, it's increasingly difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. It's easier when, in the instance of a Brad Mehldau, John Taylor or Enrico Pieranunzi, the artist's voice is so distinctive and approach so readily identifiable that there can be little doubt of its relevance. It becomes a greater challenge with pianists working this space who combine original composition with the Great American Songbook and, occasionally, more contemporary popular sources. Still, ...

Rick Germanson: You Tell Me

by Brian P. Lonergan
August 18, 2005

Pianist Rick Germanson was named one of AAJ-NY's Best New Talents of 2004. If there were any questions as to why, You Tell Me should help answer them. Germanson's sophomore recording is a solid piano trio outing in which he peppers his original compositions with a few lesser-played standards, mixing ballads and a fine blues with the up-tempo tracks. As a pianist, Germanson uses traditional voicings and textures, but it's apparent that he's studied and absorbed that tradition ...

Rick Germanson: You Tell Me

by AAJ Staff
August 2, 2005

With You Tell Me, Rick Germanson has created an immensely satisfying piano trio album in which the musicians engage the compositions, and each other, with mature dialogue, wit, and extroverted passion. To top it off, the music swings like crazy.

Germanson exhibits a roiling swing and a steady flow of solid ideas. He favors dense chord voicings, coupled with a scampering right hand, and his overall approach bears a superficial resemblance to that of McCoy Tyner or Kenny ...