Kurt Rosenwinkel: Deep Song

Simply listening to thee songs, it is difficult to believe that this is even Rosenwinkel's record. Mehldau's reflective and dramatic piano opens up the session and three of the other songs; Redman's macho tenor states the theme for the remaining Rosenwinkel's originals. Only the two standards ("Deep Song" and "If I Should Lose You") are stated and dominated by Rosenwinkel's rich and robust guitar strings. And they are both played with depth and restraint. This is not pretty music, but beautiful.

Deep Song comes off as more a collection of themes than melodies. Rosenwinkel's solos reflect that idea, more like ruminations and reflections than statements of a danceable melody. Always interesting and intriguing, his solos are paintings in themselves, requiring multiple exposures to appreciate. He's not afraid to demonstrate his chops, as on "Synthetics," but he's more content here to create passages and contemplative moods, as the title suggests. Stay tuned for further communications from this important source.

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