Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Joel Weiskopf: The Search

123

Joel Weiskopf: The Search

By

View read count
Joel Weiskopf: The Search
The time was ripe for 37-year-old pianist Joel Weiskopf to make his maiden voyage as a leader. Known as the younger brother of tenor phenom Walt Weiskopf, Joel's seasoned experiences in music include nine years of training in classical piano, graduation from the New England Conservatory of Music, and gigs with Teddy Kotick, George Garzone, Tim Hagans, and Woody Herman. All this in addition to his much-valued contributions to brother Walt's Criss Cross catalog and a few other dates for the label as a sideman.

What immediately impresses one about Joel's style is his total command of the instrument, his creative muse finding its voice without strain. Dense and incendiary as a McCoy Tyner one minute, he can be as tastefully sparse and melodic as influences Errol Garner and Ahmad Jamal the next. Variance and diversity mark the shrewd program of standards and originals heard here, with Weiskopf's range and versatility hinted at without turning things into an incoherent grab bag.

Wayne Shorter's "Edda" provides the type of changes that Weiskopf just eats up with ease. He's also confident enough to try a turn at Monk's "Criss Cross" and does so in a manner that retains the tune's spirit, but let's his own poetic identity show through. The lengthy title track is a microcosm of taste and creativity, with the group interplay making for a seductive listen, but then bassist Peter Washington and drummer Billy Drummond are both quite a wonder throughout. Their musical integrity and ability to inspire make both of these talented men an asset to any fellow musician. How could you not be pushed to the max as a soloist with Peter and Billy around?

So let's see, he's got ballads covered and up tempo romps, but can he handle the blues parlance? No problem, as "Red's Blues" more than amply demonstrates. Then, as if to resolve things on a quiet note, a stunning solo reading of "My One and Only Love" closes out a momentous debut. There's a whole lot of piano going on here and Joel's ability to establish himself as a major voice is without question.

Track Listing

Edda, Bess You is My Woman Now, It Could Happen To You, Song For the Lost, Criss Cross, One For Karl, The Search, Red's Blues, My One and Only Love (64:44)

Personnel

Joel Weiskopf- piano, Peter Washington- bass, Billy Drummond- drums

Album information

Title: The Search | Year Released: 2000 | Record Label: Criss Cross

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.