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Jim Beard: Grace In The Bubble

By Mike Jacobs
March 8, 2023
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Though he's a great enough musician to be exactly what many a recording or live situation calls for, "Grace In The Bubble" is emblematic of the mixture of technical proficiency, compositional acumen and playful quirk that Jim Beard invests into his solo outings. If Beard's idiosyncratic whimsy was perhaps tucked away a bit on his stunning solo debut Song Of The Sun (CTI, 1991), this track from his sophomore release, Lost At The Carnival (Lipstick, 1995), shows it off as it would largely be displayed in the remainder of Beard's solo catalog—with unbridled panache. It generally doesn't take too long to realize that Beard's humoresques are wry and witty vessels for some amazingly deep music—and that in that balance hangs a magic that is purely his own.

Contact Mike Jacobs on All About Jazz.
Mike Jacobs is a serious music addict, writer and a composing/occasionally-performing musician.

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About Jim Beard

Instrument: Piano

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