Home » Jazz Articles » Kurt Rosenwinkel: Heartcore

Kurt Rosenwinkel: Heartcore

By Eddie Becton
November 1, 2003
Sign in to view read count

Guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel serves vibrant, electric rhythms on Heartcore, bringing along a septet of talented musicians for the task.

Rosenwinkel gets to the heart of the matter on the title track with a fusion-laced beat. He plays around the tempo of a funky drum machine with a deep bass pattern. Mark Turner's saxophone blasts high notes that help carry the track. The conclusion winds up truly melodious and pensive. "All the Way to Rajasthan" begins with an echoing pluck of the bass by Ben Street and the band chiming in. With a soft, rhythmic pace, the melody becomes almost trance-like. Rosenwinkel displays a penchant for harmony and the keyboard overlay has a haunting sound that accents the guitarist's circuitous melody. A pensive, but electric "Interlude" is a beautiful piece: three minutes of cosmic relaxation.

Overall, Heartcore is an electric, upbeat venture. As with any disc, there are peaks and valleys, the peaks aforementioned and the valleys less dramatic. Clearly, the band is well-chosen for Rosenwinkel's purpose. And, if Heartcore's purpose is to excite and then calm the listener, its goal was accomplished successfully.

Track Listing

Heartcore; Blue Line; All the Way to Rajasthan; Your Vision/ Interlude/ Our Secret World; Dream/Memory?; Love in the Modern World; Dcba//>>; Thought About You; Tone Poem.

Personnel

Kurt Rosenwinkel: guitar, keyboards, drums, programming; Mark Turner: tenor saxophone, bass clarinet; Ben Street: bass; Jeff Ballard: drums; Ethan Iverson: piano, keyboards; Andrew D'Angelo: bass clarinet; Mariano Gil: flute. (Bass); Mariano Gil - Flute

Album information

Title: Heartcore | Year Released: 2003 | Record Label: Verve Music Group

Post a comment about this album

FOR THE LOVE OF JAZZ

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create 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.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve 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.