Music Monday: Pianos

I have three albums that are in the rotation recently in my living room. 

First, I’ve really enjoyed Erin Yamamoto’s Colors of the Night Trio with William Parker and Ikuo Takeuchi. Some of it flirts with “Third Stream” jazz, but it never loses its improvised character nor dissolves into background music. Parker and Takeuchi do more than provide accompaniment. They provide an active foil and backdrop to Yamamoto’s sometimes formal style. It’s gorgeous and inspiring. 

Second, I’ve been enjoying Horace Tapscott and Michael Session “Autumn Colors” recorded onto cassette tape at the Théâtre du Chêne Noir in Avignon, France during their European Tour in 1989. I usually like piano and saxophone duets because there is so much space for both instruments to operate, but the density of Tapscott’s piano creates a different vibe in this performance. His piano playing, like always, is HEAVY. It’s heavier than Mal Waldron or even Horace Parlan, but if you like it, then his playing with Michael Session is compelling stuff: 

I’ve also been enjoying Andrew Hill’s Dance with Death (1968) not only for its Halloween appropriate title, but also because Charles Tolliver plays trumpet on it and I’ve been thinking of Tolliver a good bit recently (and included his brilliant Music Inc. album on last week’s music Monday). It’s phenomenal and definitely ranks up there with my list of favorite late-1960s Blue Note recordings. It’s interesting that Tolliver also played on Horace Silver’s Serenade to a Soul Sister recorded in February and March of 1968, but a fundamentally different album and one very much in keeping with Blue Note’s drift toward soul jazz.)

Finally, Chad Fowler’s “Miserere” which embodies my mood lately: