Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Various: Jazz Piano at UArts

207

Various: Jazz Piano at UArts

By

Sign in to view read count
On the whole, Jazz Piano at UArts convinced me that, even during a time when the limelight is reserved for a precious few, there is still a helluva lot of great young jazz talent out there, and I can only wish them well in their budding careers. It's great that a school of jazz would produce a CD featuring its students. Thanks go to pianist Don Glanden, who is Division Head of Jazz Studies at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, for producing this album and writing the liner notes.

Jazz Piano at UArts is indeed a fine display of listenable, intelligent and creative renditions of both standards and original compositions by pianists who are labeled "students, but in fact are emerging professionals on the East Coast jazz scene. For example, John Icaro has already appeared on Vivian Mulder's Tranquila disc The Loss of Me. Matt Hochmiller performs frequently in the Philadelphia area and appeared on the Dave Wilson Quartet's Dreambox Media disc My Time. Neil Shah, Mike Frank and Jason Brown also provide creative expositions that go well beyond the connotation of "student.

Technically, all are excellent, though at times they sound a bit awkward on fast runs. Conceptually, they are very advanced and imaginative, at the cutting edge, true to the intent of the music, and consistent in their playing. Each and every one of them is an emerging talent whose development we can look forward to with anticipation.

The most "far out tracks on the album are Jason Brown's original solo piece "Free #2 and Neil Shah's rendition of Monk's "Well You Needn't. Both cuts show great improvisatory skill and a willingness to go out on a limb. Chick Corea's "Fiesta, performed by John Icaro, and Corea's "Spain, by Jason Brown, reflect a deep appreciation of Corea's style. Mike Frank's version of the Rodgers and Hart standard "Bewitched is romantic in the best sense, influenced by Keith Jarrett's introspective approach. All the tracks are highly listenable and could be recommended simply as fine jazz piano music which one could enjoy for the sake of its own pleasure.

Jazz Piano at UArts is available by contacting the University of the Arts Music Department at at 215-717-6342. As far as I know, it is not available in stores or internet venues.

Track Listing

Footprints; Well You Needn

Personnel

John Icaro, Neil Shah, Mike Frank, Jason Brown, Matt Hochmiller: piano; Joe Nero, Adam Stranburg, Dave Zygmunt: drums; Craig Thomas, Ken Pedergast, Carl Snipe: bass.

Album information

Title: Jazz Piano at UArts | Year Released: 2007 | Record Label: Self Produced

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.