Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Michael Kocour: East Of The Sun

5

Michael Kocour: East Of The Sun

By

View read count
Michael Kocour: East Of The Sun
The ease of expression with which pianist Michael Kocour unspools standards tends to belie the greatness of his playing. With extreme comfort and control he lays out one beautiful performance after another, all the while presenting a fine balance between technical accomplishment and creative bent.

East Of The Sun—the sixth leader (or co-leader) date from Kocour, and the third to offer a detailed look at his solo piano work—largely focuses on songs from the '20s and '30s. This pianist's approach to such material is neither dated nor newfangled. Kocour certainly doesn't play as time traveler, occupying the stance of a different era or regurgitating what's been done. But he also refuses to twist or conceal the compositional gifts bestowed upon us by Gershwin, Arlen, Porter, and the like. Instead he finds his own way through these timeless wonders, and his directional sense during the process proves remarkable.

Kocour's arranger's eye, deft decision-making skills on the bench, and clean touch on the instrument all contribute greatly to this program's success. Whether recasting "Sweet Lorraine" in 5/4 or "Just One Of Those Things" in 7/4, hurdling through "Who Cares?" with panache, or not-so-simply leaning into the soulful carriage of "I Can't Stop Loving You," his performances prove personal and profound. No number runs north of six minutes here—the majority of these takes actually clock in under five—but the stories leave nothing unsaid. Whether we're talking about the cheery charms of "I'm Coming Virginia" or the peaceable gifts of "Star Dust," the takeaway remains consistent and clear: Michael Kocour knows of what he plays, and that knowledge is a beautiful thing to behold.

Track Listing

East Of The Sun; I've Got A Right To Sing The Blues; She's Funny That Way; Sweet Lorraine; Who Cares?; Just One Of Those Things; Come Rain Or Come Shine; I'm Coming Virginia; Stardust; I Can't Stop Loving You.

Personnel

Michael Kocour: piano.

Album information

Title: East Of The Sun | Year Released: 2019 | Record Label: OA2 Records

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

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

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.