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Kevin Hays New Day Trio: North
ByNorth's name was born through historical and personal ties for Hays, referencing everything from Harlem's musical riches to the pianist's former upstate New York home/sanctuary to a metaphorical ideal. It's an album built on a specific platform of thought, but it's not a work that fixes the compass on a single point. In fact, the variety is quite staggering when you start to think about it: A twisted and spiked take on Charlie Parker's "Scrapple From The Apple" sits beside a sorrowful-turned-scintillating "Elegia"; a Chilean folk pastoral, painted freely by Hays' piano and Jost's ukulele, serves as a prelude to an excitable 5/4 romp on "Violetta"; staid socializing leads toward waltzing wonders through classical borrowings on "Schumann's Chamisso"; and funky feelings rule the day on "Sweet Caroline"a Hays original, not the Neil Diamond party warhorse. All of that sits within the incredibly gratifying first half of the album.
The five tracks that follow continue to speak to Hays' creativity, both as a composer, interpreter, and conceptualist. Leadbelly's "Where Did You Sleep" points both to its deep folk-blues spirit and sunnier aspirations, the swinging "All Things Are" emerges from the roots of the eternal "All The Things You Are" and grows in different directions, the title track is both a reflection and a respite, and "I'll Remember April" bounces along on a 6/8 carriage and gets a slightly darker and more intriguing coat of harmonic paint than what's customarily used. Then album's end cites day's beginning on the ever-evolving yet melodically moored "Morning." It's certainly a clear sendoff, but it also brings you back, inviting another listen each and every time.
Track Listing
Scrapple From The Apple; Elegia; Violetta; Schumann's Chamisso; Sweeet Caroline; Where Did You Sleep; All Things Are; North; I'll Remember April; Morning.
Personnel
Kevin Hays
pianoKevin Hays: piano; Rob Jost: bass, ukulele; Greg Joseph: drums.
Album information
Title: North | Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: Sunnyside Records
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