Rich Pellegrin: Passage

In the summer of 2019, pianist Rich Pellegrin retreated to Whidbey Island, Washington, near Seattle. On the island, in the fellowship hall of the Langley United Methodist Church, lies an Everett Concert Grand Piano, from 1915. It is an aging and perhaps imperfect instrument, but one with a certain character which compelled Pellegrin to set up a recording situation and lay down some of his most intimate, inward music. The piano, the crisp air, the cold blue Pacific Ocean, the beauty of the surrounding greenery, the relative isolation—all of these must have been inspiring. The results are two albums' worth of solo piano music, 2021's Solitude (OA2 Records), and now 2022's Passage, both recorded during that fruitful summer

All of the music on Passage—and Solitude—is freely improvised, Pellegrin alone with the piano and his thoughts, moods, ruminations, expressing himself in the moment. The music is presented in three "sets," thirty brief and beautiful introspections, lasting anywhere from just under one minute to near-three minutes. The mood is consistently somber, subtle, serene and celebratory, in its understated way, tinted by hints of spirituality—though there is no indication that a spiritual approach was Pellegrin's intent

The intent seems to have been exploratory, a search for undiluted loveliness, and truth, a hundred and eighty degrees from any consideration of commercial success, record sales or popularity. Which is probably why Passage and Solitude are both such timeless gems of the art of solo piano.

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