Sumptuous feast of inspired writing and exceptional playing.
—Bill Milkowski
Pianist Kerry Politzer is always on the move. As a busy performer and bandleader with nine albums as a leader, a jazz educator at two universities, and the mother of two children, time is always of the essence for her when realising a project. With ten original compositions (and one well-chosen cover) to record and a schedule window of just one day in New York City to record them, there was no margin for error. For the frontline Kerry picked a pair of legends—Kurt Rosenwinkel on guitar and Jaleel Shaw on alto and soprano sax. In the rhythm section she selected NYC’s busiest bassist Alexander Claffy and, keeping it close to home, her partner George Colligan on drums. And in the face of delayed flights and traffic hold-ups, the new album Alternate Route was created, hitting the highest standards of performance with the depth and warmth of Kerry’s challenging but engaging compositions. It’s a set of tough and tender tunes that combine sophisticated harmony with intricate but accessible melodies to inspire some fierce blowing from everyone, all delivered with a concise, timely precision.
“Before It’s Too Late" draws on Kerry’s love of Brazilian music to present a modern take on choro with Kurt’s lambent-toned guitar flying over the changes, and he returns to explore Kerry’s sophisticated harmony over the straight-eight groove of “Watercolor." “Kurt has this incredible harmonic concept, and I wrote ‘Watercolor' with him in mind,” says Kerry. Jaleel’s burnished sound and impeccable time feel adorn the modern swing of “Here We Go Again," he simply flies over the quirkily eccentric rumba of “Stopped At A Green Light," and he reveals his sensitivity on the soprano sax on Ravel-influenced ballad feature “The Sunrise Wants to Break Through" titled with a wry reference to the Portland weather. George Colligan is perhaps better known as a gifted pianist: he shows his exceptional talents as a drummer with the fluid New Orleans-inspired groove of “Storm Warning" (written by English pianist/composer Harry South), the expertly negotiated metric changes of “Change Of Plans" and the driving samba of “No Present Like The Time." On the title track, both Kurt and Jaleel combine to deliver a mesmerizing performance over the oblique boppish theme, with Kerry’s beautifully articulated, immaculately swinging piano setting the bar high. Finally, “Tara" is a meditative, melodic piano solo dedicated to a departed friend that manages to be poignant and uplifting at the same time.
The empathy and good feeling flowing between the players are audible from the first notes: “Kurt, Jaleel and Alex all have Philly roots so there’s a really strong relationship there. Alex is incredibly gifted, and Jaleel is such a beautiful player with such a huge, recognizable sound. And it was such a thrill to have Kurt on the album—he’s one of my favorite composers and I’ve been a fan for such a long time.” Each player has a powerful personality and Kerry allows them free rein, yet such is the strength of her compositions, and her calmly stated but immensely powerful presence on piano, that no one player dominates the music: everyone finds their own alternate route to excellence.
“Before It’s Too Late" draws on Kerry’s love of Brazilian music to present a modern take on choro with Kurt’s lambent-toned guitar flying over the changes, and he returns to explore Kerry’s sophisticated harmony over the straight-eight groove of “Watercolor." “Kurt has this incredible harmonic concept, and I wrote ‘Watercolor' with him in mind,” says Kerry. Jaleel’s burnished sound and impeccable time feel adorn the modern swing of “Here We Go Again," he simply flies over the quirkily eccentric rumba of “Stopped At A Green Light," and he reveals his sensitivity on the soprano sax on Ravel-influenced ballad feature “The Sunrise Wants to Break Through" titled with a wry reference to the Portland weather. George Colligan is perhaps better known as a gifted pianist: he shows his exceptional talents as a drummer with the fluid New Orleans-inspired groove of “Storm Warning" (written by English pianist/composer Harry South), the expertly negotiated metric changes of “Change Of Plans" and the driving samba of “No Present Like The Time." On the title track, both Kurt and Jaleel combine to deliver a mesmerizing performance over the oblique boppish theme, with Kerry’s beautifully articulated, immaculately swinging piano setting the bar high. Finally, “Tara" is a meditative, melodic piano solo dedicated to a departed friend that manages to be poignant and uplifting at the same time.
The empathy and good feeling flowing between the players are audible from the first notes: “Kurt, Jaleel and Alex all have Philly roots so there’s a really strong relationship there. Alex is incredibly gifted, and Jaleel is such a beautiful player with such a huge, recognizable sound. And it was such a thrill to have Kurt on the album—he’s one of my favorite composers and I’ve been a fan for such a long time.” Each player has a powerful personality and Kerry allows them free rein, yet such is the strength of her compositions, and her calmly stated but immensely powerful presence on piano, that no one player dominates the music: everyone finds their own alternate route to excellence.
