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George Cables: I'm All Smiles

By Peter Hoetjes

At a time when jazz is being pulled in every direction at once in search of a future some fear may not exist, musicians such as George Cables, Essiet Essiet and Victor Lewis are proving that, for those who listen, there is no place quite like the present. Essiet became the trio's bassist for its 2012 Highnote release My Muse, and has remained since. Cables has been fortunate with drummers throughout his career as a band leader. During the 1970s ...

George Cables: I'm All Smiles

By Jack Bowers

George Cables, whose elegant piano has graced the jazz scene in New York City and elsewhere for more than five decades, has every reason to be All Smiles; at age seventy-four he is back at the keyboard, as sharp and inspired as ever, following surgery for ulcers that removed one leg above the knee. To mark the auspicious occasion, Cables guides a rhythm section of longtime friends and colleagues, bassist Essiet Essiet and drummer Victor Lewis, through its paces on ...

George Cables Quartet at Ancona Jazz 2019

By Andrea Rotili

George Cables: My Muse

By Peter Hoetjes

When an artist records music less than two years after losing his wife of nearly three decades to pancreatic cancer, it is generally assumed that the resulting album will have an overall melancholic, funereal sound. This is not the case however, for pianist George Cables. My Muse is less an elegy for love, and more of a celebration of its existence. This is understandable though, after listening through Cables' preceding four decades of music. A pianist who often ...

George Cables: Icons and Influences

By Jack Bowers

When a jazz musician has been around as long as pianist George Cables, and has seen, heard and performed with so many other world-class musicians, such interactions are bound to leave a lasting impression, and on the trio date Icons and Influences Cables warmly salutes a number of those who have helped frame his musical persona and escorted him along a journey of wonder and discovery that has enabled him to become the superbly talented artist he is today.

George Cables: The Pianist’s Dedication to the Group

By Victor L. Schermer

Anyone who is serious about jazz will tell you that George Cables belongs in the pantheon of the greatest jazz pianists. Everyone, that is, except George Cables. Exceptional in every way, he is yet a team player. He sees himself as part of the rhythm section, and has always emphasized the group over the soloist. He has worked extensively since the late 1960s with many of the legends: Art Blakey, Art Pepper, Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw, and Dexter Gordon, to ...

George Cables: My Muse

By Greg Simmons

Pianist George Cables' relationship with the late Helen Wray must have been one joyous romance. Contrary to the expectations of an album dedicated to a departed loved one, My Muse is a collection of uplifting and, frankly, happy-sounding originals and standards. Take away the personal context and you'd swear Cables and company were just enjoying the gig.Cables is an elegant pianist. He has the rare capability to play with great drama, but without ever becoming hard or abrasive. ...

George Cables: Morning Song

By Terrell Kent Holmes

Morning Song, a recently discovered live set from 1980 led by the great George Cables, is a tale of two gigs. While the quartet performances are middling, Cables' overall dynamism, particularly on his solo piano turns, lifts the disc above mediocrity. The rhythm section of Cables, bassist John Heard and drummer Sherman Ferguson, is excellent, with the leader constantly inspiring Heard and Ferguson to meet his harmonic challenges. Heard's pizzicato on “Up Jumped Spring" is luminous; it ...

George Cables: You Don't Know Me

By Terrell Kent Holmes

When George Cables sat at a bright red Steinway at the Society for Ethical Culture during the 2008 JVC Jazz Festival this past June and played his first notes of the evening, it was immediately clear that his recent illnesses, surgeries and convalescence had not blunted his enviable skills. He played an excellent set that night, selecting most of the tunes from his solo double-CD You Don't Know Me, an ambitious and impressive mix of spirituals, originals and standards.

George Cables: Back in Action

By Terrell Kent Holmes

Throughout his more than four decades playing jazz, pianist George Cables has been among the most sought after, dependable and talented players on the scene. Born in New York City on November 14, 1944, Cables cut his teeth barely out of his teens and hasn't looked back, appearing on hundreds of recordings. Whether a sideman for a timeless luminary, taking the lead with his own band or playing solo, Cables' aggressive, flowing style and distinctive sound have made him a ...

George Cables: Morning Song

By Jay Deshpande

George Cables doesn't get talked about too much anymore. Although he was prominent enough in the 70s to play with Art Blakey, Joe Henderson, and Freddie Hubbard, he has since disappeared somewhat from the mainstream scene. Consequently, HighNote's release of Morning Song, a collection of Cables' 1980 performances from San Francisco's The Keystone Korner, is an important artifact. Although the commercial sound of late 70s jazz can feel dated and contrived, it is a valuable reminder of the way things ...

George Cables Trio: A Letter To Dexter

By Chris May

During the final years of Art Pepper's life, from the mid-'70s through 1982, George Cables was the saxophonist's pianist of choice, both live and in the studio. Pepper called Cables Mr. Beautiful--not just for his playing, but also for his warm and loving personality. (In particular, Pepper appreciated Cables' positive attitude to white musicians, which apparently contrasted pleasantly with that of many other sidemen he'd worked with over the years, who'd denigrate Pepper behind his back.) Cables' playing illuminated a ...