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Roberta Piket: Emanation (Solo: Volume 2)
ByEmanation, a followup to the simply-titled Solo (Thirteenth Note Records, 2013), finds the pianist in fine form. Piket brings a focused and fiery spirit to "Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise," hurriedly moving along; she blends staid and intriguing sounds during "Emanation," a freely developing rumination that's wholly absorbing; she captures the beauty and emotion beyond "Haunted Heart"; and she emphasizes the portentous qualities that live within Chopin's "Prelude Op. 28 No. 2 in A Minor" during her "Fantasy On a Theme By Chopin."
Piket is equally successful in mining and renovating the music of the jazz masters. She treats Thelonious Monk's "Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are" with respect but never resorts to aping the composer's percussive stylings, redirects the flow of Dizzy Gillespie's "Con Alma" by recasting it in seven, and demonstrates that Herbie Hancock's "Actual Proof" can be far more than a slick electric groove workout. And then there's her take on Marian McPartland's "Ambiance"mellow and full of sorrowful sonorities, wistful thoughts, and heart-melting moments. It's pure pathos as filtered through the piano.
While Roberta Piket has been releasing high quality dates under her own name since the mid '90s, she remains a woefully underappreciated figure in jazz. Emanation (Solo: Volume 2), the latest piece of evidence to make the case for her artistry, is a memorable date that earns high marks in every category, from the creative to the technical to the emotional.
Track Listing
Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise; Haunted Heart; Con Alma; Saying Goodbye; Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are; Emanation; All The Things You Are; Ambiance; Actual Proof; Fantasy On A Theme By Chopin.
Personnel
Roberta Piket
pianoRoberta Piket: piano.
Album information
Title: Emanation (Solo: Volume 2) | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: Thirteenth Note Records
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