Jazz Articles about John Stetch

John Stetch: TV Trio

by Graham L. Flanagan
September 7, 2009

With TV Trio, pianist John Stetch lays the groundwork for reinstituting jazz as part of the mainstream: pop-culture consciousness. Stetch, bassist Doug Weiss and drummer Rodney Green interpret 12 vintage TV theme songs. Some are instantly recognizable due to the faithfulness of the arrangements. Others are a little harder to decipher, Stetch taking inspiration from a basic element of the composition and molding it into his own, unique creation. Stetch's approach on some of the selections might ...

John Stetch: TV Trio

by Woodrow Wilkins
March 3, 2009

Pianist John Stetch makes it clear that the Great American Songbook has a sequel: television themes. With TV Trio, Stetch presents a collection of some of his favorite themes from perhaps the most influential period of this music, the '70s and '80s. Canada-born Stetch earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Montreal and won the Prix du Jazz at the Montreal International Festival in '98. His recording and stage associations include Mark Turner, Charlie Haden, Victor Lewis and ...

John Stetch: Blending Heritage and the Jazz Tradition

by Ken Kase
July 3, 2006

Canadian pianist John Stetch has been quietly building a catalog of fine compositions and recordings since his 1992 debut, Rectangle Man (Terra Nova, 1992). He's played in a variety of formats as a sideman and as a leader, he's fronted quartets and trios that have produced new interpretations of music from the standard jazz repertoire as well as compositions that reveal a unique and ever-evolving style.

His new CD, Bruxin' (Justin Time, 2006), marks his return to ensemble work for ...

John Stetch Trio: Bruxin'

by Ken Kase
June 18, 2006

After recording three finely crafted and well-received solo piano albums, John Stetch returns to the trio format for the first time since Green Grove (1999). Bruxin', his first disc to feature a program comprised entirely of original compositions, finds Stetch looking back on some old gems from his past and offering brand new tunes for the future.His revisitation of “Inuit Talk," whose clipped melodic lines evoke the speech patterns of the indigenous people of the arctic ...

John Stetch Trio: Bruxin'

by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
June 12, 2006

With this collection of eleven originals, Canadian-born pianist John Stetch enhances his reputation as an innovative performer and composer. Stetch's work is paradoxical: it's simultaneously complex and accessible, earnest and playful; full of quirky rhythms and harmonies, it's still rooted in classic swing. Bassist Sean Smith and drummer Rodney Green are essential to the whirling, welcoming energy of Bruxin', providing the ideal scaffolding for Stetch's compositions.

Stetch derives his inspiration from a wide range of influences--from the Inuit ...

John Stetch Trio: Bruxin'

by Nic Jones
June 4, 2006

For all the hype that's been lavished on piano trios over the past few years, there are still signs of musical life in the lineup, as Bruxin' exemplifies. This programme of worthwhile music could also serve as a statement of artistic intent, implying a welcome level of individuality.

Stetch has gone for a comparatively risky option in putting together a programme of eleven original compositions for this his first trio album in a while, and the way in which the ...

John Stetch: Exponentially Monk

by Jim Santella
October 4, 2004

A solo piano album of classic Monk compositions marks a serious study of what we all like about jazz. The music swings, it has originality, and it provides the performer much room for spontaneity. John Stetch explores each one methodically and with careful consideration.

He dampens the piano's strings, alters notes with the pedal, and combines unlikely pairs of tones. With a deep, rumbling left-hand walking bass, he gives the music a consistent foundation. From there, he's free ...