Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Jon Mayer: Nightscape

157

Jon Mayer: Nightscape

By

View read count
Jon Mayer: Nightscape
Jon Mayer was working professionally as a jazz pianist as a teen back in the '50s, while attending the Manhattan School of Music. As well as working as a sideman with Tony Scott, Kenny Dorham, Chet Baker, the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Sarah Vaughan and others, along with taking part in record dates with John Coltrane and Jackie McLean, Mayer contributed original pop songs to a number of vocalist record dates, though he did not make his recording debut as a leader until 1995 with Round Up the Usual Suspects (Pullen Music).

During the past decade, Mayer has found a home with Reservoir; Nightscape is his fifth CD for the label, all of which feature seasoned bassist Rufus Reid, while this is the third date with drummer Roy McCurdy. Mayer doesn't attempt to dazzle with his technique, preferring to draw in with his variations on each theme. His upbeat setting of Ray Noble's "The Touch of Your Lips" and breezy take of Cole Porter's "So in Love" are fine examples of what a veteran instrumentalist can do with time-tested standards. He is equally at home with familiar jazz works, working a bit of dissonance into the theme of Oscar Pettiford's lively bop vehicle "Bohemia After Dark," and navigating the often tricky path of Horace Silver's infrequently recorded "Room 608."

Any jazz musician worth his salt searches for overlooked gems, and Mayer uncovers one with Harold Land's late '70s ballad, "Rapture," an infectious medium-tempo performance buoyed by a soft ostinato bass line. Mayer's writing skills are also showcased: the dreamy title ballad suggests a walk home late on a perfect Manhattan spring evening, while the softly swaggering "Blues Junction" showcases the much-in-demand Reid in the solo spotlight.

Track Listing

The Touch of Your Lips; Blues Junction; Day By Day; Nightscape; Rapture: Room 608; Dancing in the Dark; Bohemia After Dark; Theme For Ernie: Once I Loved; So in Love.

Personnel

Jon Mayer
piano

Jon Mayer: piano; Rufus Reid: bass; Roy McCurdy: drums.

Album information

Title: Nightscape | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: Reservoir Music

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About 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 make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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.

Near

More

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

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

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.