Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » John Chin: Blackout Conception

115

John Chin: Blackout Conception

By

View read count
John Chin: Blackout Conception
Pianist John Chin marks his recording debut with three originals and four other compositions that have made an impression on him. Chin, who turned to jazz as a teenager, went on to study under Kenny Barron at Rutgers University. While Barron's influence is present to an extent, Chin brings his own measure and intuition to bear in his playing. His ideas flow cohesively and he is as comfortable in letting them gush as he is in holding back and letting the music breathe.

Chin reworks Barron's "Joanne Julia" with a Latin beat. Mark Turner serves up the initial delight on his tenor saxophone with an instilled yearning, neatly turning his phrases around and finding a new avenue to probe. Chin extends the melodic line and moves briskly through it, going just enough off the path to add apt interjections. His two-handed approach stamps his sense of invention. With Bill Campbell (drums) and Alex Cuadrado (bass) injecting a lively rhythm into the pulse, this tune is top notch.

"Passion Flower" has been taken through several interpretations. Chin is economical and judicious without sacrificing feeling. In his cogent exposition, he delves into the mood, lets it surface and wraps its arms around the listener.

Chin is a composer of no mean proportion. "Blackout Conception" was inspired by the East Coast blackout of 2003. Chin moves across several parameters: he is jaunty; he injects a sense of urgency; and he brings in swing. The mood is in constant flux and constantly riveting. Turner's inflections are darker, as he gravitates to the core before spiraling upward and out with a big, brawny sound, all of which leads to a frenetic climax.

"I Won't Argue With You" brings a change of mood and tempo. Chin crafts the song well, and his playing is unhurried, with every note given its moment to shine. The mood dissolves as he rouses the tempo and infuses a throbbing center. He then pulls back and lets his left hand hammer out the chords, with the music carrying a vivid message.

Chin charts a bright course with Blackout Conception that augurs well for the future.

Track Listing

Blackout Conception; Joanne Julia; I Won't Argue With You; After Crash; Some Other Time; Lullaby; Passion Flower.

Personnel

John Chin
piano

John Chin: piano; Bill Campbell: drums; Mark Turner: tenor sax; Alexis Cuadrado: bass; Chris Higgins: bass.

Album information

Title: Blackout Conception | Year Released: 2008 | Record Label: Fresh Sound New Talent

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About 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 make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.