Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » John Stetch: Heavens of a Hundred Days

206

John Stetch: Heavens of a Hundred Days

By

Sign in to view read count
John Stetch: Heavens of a Hundred Days
Pianist John Stetch enlists tenor saxophonist Bill McHenry, bassist Ben Street, and drummer Jeff Ballard on this contemplative yet stimulating release. Each track is paired in the liner notes with a quotation or reference that served as Stetch's inspiration. These diverse influences range from Rilke, Kandinsky, and singer/songwriter Mike Rud to political theorist Benjamin Barber. Stetch's intellectual nature comes across in the music without being stultifying or overly serious, making this an album of exceptional candor and expressiveness.

"Heavens of a Hundred Days," an opening ballad that takes its title from a line in a Rilke poem, features a soft-toned McHenry floating on a lush harmonic cloud. Far and away the album's best track, it sounds like something Charles Lloyd might have included on one of his ECM quartet sessions. McHenry also appears on the lively "Rondeau," the free piece "McWorld," and two piano/tenor duets, simply titled "Duet #1" and "Duet #2," which recall the duo selections by Kenny Werner and Joe Lovano on Werner's recent Beauty Secrets. The remainder of the album features Stetch in a trio context, sounding something like a cross between David Berkman and Brad Mehldau. The Eastern-influenced "Urakawa" and the up-tempo, swinging "Point" reveal two very different sides of Stetch's compositional style. And two standards, an inventive, grooving version of "Love for Sale" and a sumptuous "Autumn in New York," demonstrate Stetch's unique take on the tradition. The concluding piece, a solo piano rendition of the title track, delves back into the influence of Rilke, with poetic results.

Track Listing

Heavens of a Hundred Days; Urakawa; Rondeau; Duet #1; Love for Sale; Autumn in New York; Point; Duet #2; McWorld; Heavens of a Hundred Days (solo).

Personnel

John Stetch: piano; Bill McHenry: tenor saxophone; Ben Street: bass; Jeff Ballard: drums.

Album information

Title: Heavens of a Hundred Days | Year Released: 2001 | Record Label: Justin Time Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of 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 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.

You Can 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.

More

Fiesta at Caroga
Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective
Fellowship
David Gibson
Immense Blue
Olie Brice / Rachel Musson / Mark Sanders

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.