Solo Piano: Emotions and Drama

If solo might seem to suggest simple, then it would probably be best not to jump to conclusions. In the right hands, one instrument is capable of as much wide-scale drama as an orchestra.

Maciej Tubis
Komeda: Reflections
AudioCave
2023

Any tribute worth its salt (or rather its vinyl or plastic, etc) will ideally cross the artist's own personality with the spirit of the honoree. In the case of subject Krzysztof Komeda, whose life wandered from career in medicine to underground post-war jazz clubs to some iconic silver-screen scores, that spirit means a certain degree of restlessness and mystery—this is the unsettled searching that gave a distinct sonic edge to films such as The Fearless Vampire Killers or Rosemary's Baby. For his part, Maciej Tubis has his own signature style built on more than a decade with the high-energy Tubis Trio, and if his manner is exceptionally bright and brash, he is nothing if not versatile. Adding his own touches comes second here while honoring a Polish national legend comes first.

Komeda : Reflections is very aptly named; not only does it consist of pieces interpreted and reflected through a personal lens, but the mood is one of pensiveness and consideration. Komeda was never really a virtuoso but always a thinker, and as much as Tubis can tear it up on the keys, he keeps the questing spirit at the center. He first strolls in with a dash of noir mystique, then adds to that feel of classic cinema with a shimmer of synth vaguely evoking a theremin. While the stillness regularly alternates with stomping rhythms or electronic overdubs, the slyness never disappears—even the rapid beat-grooving of "The Law and the Fist" or the roiling semi-anarchy of "Le Départ" only adds to the atmosphere rather than distracting from it. Tubis always gives the feeling that something wondrous could always be just around the corner, and until this too-short outing flies to a rollicking finish, we find it often is.

Maria Baptist
Hopes & Fears
Self Produced
2024

With a career spanning a wild rainbow of tones, Maria Baptist's catalogue should probably be too wide to capture in a single snapshot—let alone a solo performance, seeing as most of her recordings have been made with combos sized from two to two dozen. It is true that a single piano cannot match the bright swing of her Here & Now big band, or the jaunty interplay of the quintet that most recently made the live quasi-retrospective Essays on Jazz (Self produced, 2023). This live recital stays largely in a certain mode, elegant and exceptionally thoughtful. Still, this is a context where Baptist can follow any impulse and whim without needing to worry about anyone else staying in step, and it lets her performing voice come out in a way more pure and honest than ever.

A certain similarity to Keith Jarrett is inescapable, from her skill at gliding effortlessly between extremes, to the hearty streak of classical woven through her impressionistic meditations, to the live format of two distinct sets. The 38-minute title suite is basically one emotional epic poem packed with its title shades and others in between. She drifts from dreamy to thundering to questing just within the first movement, weaving her story not just with notes but by juxtaposing loud and soft, or using rubato timing to slow or quicken a phrase for greatest effect. It is never clear whether the set is an epic composition or a monologue brilliantly improvised from the heart—most likely somewhere in between—but it is a powerful, epic work either way.

The second set is more assured and (if anything) more affecting. These are pieces from across Baptist's career, some adapted from previous recordings made with trio or quintet (or others originally also solo), and all feeling like breathing beings that continue to evolve with age. Each one is stretched into an exploration that inevitably wanders through its own series of dips and swells. "After the Darkness" almost defies its title by drifting into a rumbling mini-storm that the previous solo rendition never had. "Falling Night" does not merely fall but crashes and plummets with the wildness of an avalanche. The usually-peaceful "The Moon Stood Still" manages to stay almost entirely still until that exciting mix of hope and fear bursts in for the final minute. The entire performance is like a novel for the ears, a breathtaking piece of high emotion and world-class refinement.

Tracks and Personnel

Komeda : Reflections

Tracks: Sleep Safe and Warm / Kołysanka Rosemary; My Ballad / Moja ballada; The Law and the Fist / Nim wstanie dzień; Ballad for Bernt; Le Départ; After the Catastrophe / Po katastrofie; Two Men and a Wardrobe / Każdy szafę ma.

Personnel: Maciej Tubis: piano.

Hopes & Fears

Tracks: CD1: Hopes and Fears I; Hopes and Fears II; Hopes and Fears III; Hopes and Fears IV; Hopes and Fears V. CD2: After the Darkness; Falling Night; The Moon Stood Still; Running; Piano Ballad.

Personnel: Maria Baptist: piano.

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