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Mel Graves
Denny Zeitlin: Odyssey
by Katchie Cartwright
"Don't count stars or you might stumble," the lyric warns. The song is about falling in love, but Denny Zeitlin zooms in on the cosmos at the outset of his live journey into “It Could Happen to You" on Odyssey. He flashes around the piano's twinkling top end with whole-tone swirls and crystalline dissonances, like Tinkerbell or maybe a firefly, with drummer George Marsh at his side, articulating icy stick figures on the ride cymbal, while bassist Mel Graves stays ...
Continue Reading...Denny Zeitlin: Odyssey
by Dan McClenaghan
Pianist Denny Zeitlin takes a trip into his archival book on the first half of Odyssey. He has always mixed eloquence and beauty with adventurousness. That is up front here. A close comparison to his style of playing can be found in the artistry of Bill Evans. And it should be noted that Evans adopted one of Zeitlin's most touching, gorgeously placid compositions, “Quiet Now," into his concert and recording songbook. Odyssey is not a deep archival dive--Zeitlin ...
Continue Reading...Denny Zeitlin: Odyssey
by Pierre Giroux
Listening to Denny Zeitlin has often felt like accepting an invitation to the unknown. Zeitlin has never been content to simply play a tune. He probes it, turns it inside out, and often uncovers possibilities most musicians overlook. Odyssey reinforces that reputation. Although much of the material spans different periods of his career, the album never feels like a nostalgic exercise. Instead, it captures an artist whose curiosity remains remarkably intact. The trio's 2003 concert performances, featuring the ...
Continue Reading...Mel Graves - Jazz Bassist, Composer, Teacher
Source:
All About Jazz
Mel Graves, a gifted bassist, composer and teacher equally at home in the jazz and classical worlds, died Saturday at his Petaluma home of pancreatic cancer. He had turned 62 two days earlier. Mr. Graves was a fluent improviser known for his work with Mose Allison, Denny Zeitlin, Dewey Redman and other top jazz players, and a prolific composer and arranger who wrote for the Kronos Quartet and other new music ensembles. He had hoped to attend Sunday's musical tribute ...
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Music
Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson
