Home » Articoli » Album Review » Geri Allen: Timeless Portraits and Dreams

Geri Allen: Timeless Portraits and Dreams

By AAJ Italy Staff
October 31, 2006
View read count

Geri Allen: Timeless Portraits and Dreams

Eleganza e raffinatezza sono le parole d’ordine di questo Timeless Portraits and Dreams, ultima fatica discografica di Geri Allen in trio (e che trio, Ron Carter al contrabbasso e Jimmy Cobb alla batteria!). Per la verità durante l’ora abbondante di musica, compresi i quattro minuti di un bonus disc?!, al trio della pianista di Pontiac si aggiungono di volta in volta il sax tenore di Donald Walden, la voce di Carmen Lundy, la tromba di Wallace Roney e l’Atlanta Jazz Chorus. Ma le coordinate dell’incisione non si spostano di un grado, eleganza e raffinatezza per l’appunto.

Lontana dagli esordi sperimentali con il collettivo M-Base di Steve Coleman ma anche dal supertrio in bilico tra rigore e libertà con Charlie Haden e Paul Haden, Allen si immerge in una sorta di sobria classicità. Tra il Nino Rota di “La strada“ e il Gershwin di “Embraceable You“ non disdegnando la tradizione di “Oh Freedom“ e la rivendicazione di “I Have a Dream“ e “Lift Every Voice and Sing“, la pianista traccia un sentiero fatto di belle melodie, dolcezze timbriche, delicate tessiture armoniche, afflati spirituali e inni gospelizzanti.

Tranne che in “In Real Time“ e la parkeriana “Ah-Leu-Cha“ quando spinge sull’acceleratore della tastiera e Roney si dimostra il grande trombettista che è.

Per il resto, eleganza e raffinatezza per l’appunto, e... un pizzico di noia.

Track Listing

Oh Freedom; Melchezedik; Portraits and Dreams; Well Done; La Strada; I Have a Dream; Nearly; In Real Time; Embraceable You; Ah-Leu-Cha; Just for a Thrill; Our Lady (for Billie Holiday); Timeless Portraits and Dreams; Portraits and Dreams (reprise)

Personnel

Geri Allen

piano

Geri Allen, piano; Ron Carter, bass; Jimmy Cobb, drums; Carmen Lundy, vocals; Wallace Roney, trumpet; George Shirley, vocals; Donald Walden, tenor saxophone; Atlanta Jazz Chorus, directed by Dwight Andrews.

Album information

Title: Timeless Portraits And Dreams | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: Telarc Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Kamosc
< Previous

Make It Happen
Next >

Support All About Jazz

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.