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Ted Piltzecker: Peace Vibes
by Jack Bowers
With the world desperately in need of more Peace Vibes in these times of seemingly endless strife and division, vibraphonist Ted Piltzecker is happy to oblige, putting his Colorado-based quartet" to work on the problem via a series of bright and handsome themes whose gracefulness and charm are designed to calm even the most savage beast. The word quartet is placed between quotation marks because Piltzecker leads a quintet on at least two tracks and perhaps others; ...
Continue ReadingTed Piltzecker: Vibes on a Breath
by Jack Bowers
Even though Ted Piltzecker is a splendid vibraphonist and ushers a group of Colorado's leading jazz musicians through its paces on Vibes on a Breath, it is his sparkling arrangements that carry the day on this delightful new album. Several members of Piltzecker's septet double, and he makes the most of that versatility, writing charts that bring to the fore John Gunther's bass clarinet, Wil Swindler's baritone sax and (on the closing number) Judith Leclair's bassoon and Javier Diaz's percussion. ...
Continue ReadingDave Askren/Jeff Benedict: Denver Sessions
by Jack Bowers
There are times when a little extra effort goes a long way. To record the Denver Sessions, guitarist Dave Askren and saxophonist Jeff Benedict flew from the Los Angeles area, vibraphonist Ted Piltzecker from New York City to team with the Mile High city's Patrick McDevitt (bass) and Paul Romaine (drums) for Askren and Benedict's twelfth album together and fourth as co-leaders. Was it worth the trip? In one listener's opinion, first-class tickets, no matter the price, would be cheap ...
Continue ReadingDave Askren / Jeff Benedict: Denver Sessions
by Edward Blanco
Los Angeles-based guitarist Dave Askren and saxophonist Jeff Benedict collaborate on their fourth album as co-leaders on the Denver Sessions, an exquisite ten-piece set of primarily original music recorded in Denver, Colorado. The leaders have been playing together for around thirty years in the LA area but, for some time, had wanted to perform with New York-based vibraphonist Ted Piltzecker and decided to make it happen with the help of drummer Paul Romaine who encouraged the move to Denver for ...
Continue ReadingTed Piltzecker: Steppe Forward
by AAJ Italy Staff
In compagnia di giovani di belle speranze, Ted Piltzecker mette insieme un disco con sue composizioni che è un bel biglietto da visita. Neanche quaranta minuti, comunque ben concentrati, per quello che è stato il vibrafonista negli ultimi gruppi del compianto pianista George Shearing. Steppe Forward è un lavoro registrato con la tecnica della sovraincisione. Il leader è infatti presente anche al pianoforte e alle percussioni. In scaletta troviamo composizioni originali del leader (tranne Nica's Dream" di Horace Silver). Il ...
Continue ReadingTed Piltzecker: Steppe Forward
by Bruce Lindsay
From the opening notes of Steppe Forward" itself, Ted Piltzecker and his sextet give a clear statement of intent: Steppe Forward is going to be an upbeat, joyous and uplifting album, from beginning to end. As the closing bars of Reunion Blues" fade away, it's clear that the band has achieved this intention, with a lively, inventive and engaging set of tunes and some exceptional playing. A former member of pianist George Shearing's Quintet, Piltzecker leads a ...
Continue ReadingTed Piltzecker: Standing Alone
by Craig W. Hurst
After listening multiple times to Ted Piltzecker’s newest release Standing Alone, a listener may easily conclude that this CD should be required listening for any aspiring vibraphonist. While Piltzecker’s work should not relegated to merely a pedagogical model of technique, it would however, be impossible to overlook the incredible sound Piltzecker draws from his instrument, his dynamic rhythmic sense and impeccably consistent time—certainly qualities worth modeling.
When first confronting Standing Alone which consists of Piltzecker performing thirteen tried ...
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