Let It Come to You

“The wonderful thing about making music (and possibly the reason why it's considered a universal language) is that the only requirement for understanding and enjoying music is the will to observe, interpret, and to be moved. I hope that this music takes you on whatever emotional journey you need at the moment...it certainly took me on one!” –Taylor Eigsti, Let It Come to You

The mantle of “child prodigy” is not only heavy but often difficult to cast aside. Taylor Eigsti’s talent was apparent when he was a mere toddler, and the young pianist drew considerable attention from age 8 when he opened for David Benoit, shared the stage with Dianne Schuur at age 12, with Dave Brubeck at 13, released his first recording at 14 and joined the faculty of the Stanford Jazz Workshop at 15. Since, the Menlo Park, California native has opened for Diana Krall, Al Jarreau and Hank Jones, appeared twice on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz, graced the covers of Jazziz and Keyboard Magazine, landed in two consecutive DownBeat Critics Poll, and was the subject of a BET Jazz special. And his fifth recording and Concord debut, Lucky to Be Me (2006), not only featured a supporting team that included Christian McBride, Lewis Nash, James Genus, and Billy Kilson, it received two Grammy nominations as well (best instrumental composition and best instrumental jazz solo). With his Concord follow-up, Let It Come To You, in stores as of May 6th, 23-year-old Taylor hopes he’s finally proven himself worthy of both praise and criticism on the basis of his music alone.

Karrin Allyson courtesy of the Concord Jazz Festival

Karrin Allyson has always had a thing for the music of Brazil. Nearly every one of her 11 recordings has at least one tune sung in Portuguese. And every one of those Concord releases has garnered accolades from far and wide. On her latest, Imagina, Karrin mines new and old repertoire, this time singing in the composers' language on all fourteen tracks while bringing new interpretations through found and commissioned English lyrics to much of the set.

Karrin Allyson

Born in Kansas and raised in Omaha and San Francisco, Karrin Allyson studied classical piano before being turned on to jazz (and the songs of Nancy Wilson, Carmen McRae, Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald) as a college student. After graduating from the University of Nebraska with a degree in piano, she spent her early professional career in Kansas City, finally moving to New York City with orchestra conductor/husband Bill McGlaughlin a few years ago. In addition to her frequent appearances in jazz clubs and festivals around the world, she has appeared at Carnegie Hall (tribute to Ella Fitzgerald), Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, and with symphony orchestras around the country, including the Carnegie Hall concert series at Zankel Hall. Recent tours have taken her to Japan and Israel; last month she was a featured guest honoring Marian McPartland on her 90th birthday—Karrin played several of McPartland’s compositions at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Narmada Neil Welch

Seattle based saxophonist Neil Welch just released his debut album Narmada (Belle Records). Whether intentional or not, it was quietly released. Long term this will prove a wise move as many promising careers have ended up stalled by media/critic hyperbole which breeds expectations which no artists can live up to.

On the album Neil plays both tenor and soprano saxophones. He wears his influences proudly for all to see. With some artists who do this, it makes you reach for the albums that are their source material, cutting out the middle man. With Neil it works, though. He captures the spirit, never attempting to play what his two most apparent influences, John Coltrane or Pharaoh Sanders, would play. Instead he plays how they would play and, more importantly he plays as they have inspired him to play, while always remaining his own man.

The album is mostly comprised of originals except for a traditional Hindustani raga which is here arranged by Neil, Tor Dietrichson and Pandit Debi Prasad Chatterjee, who all are members outside this traditional Hindustani ensemble, “Nada Brahma.” The other cover is “Paranoid Android” by Radiohead.

Tequila Moon

To say that singer, composer and saxophonist Jessy J is a gifted artist almost seems like an insignificant statement, in light of her exquisite debut album, Tequila Moon (Peak Records). She woos you in Spanish as she coos the words to Consuelo Velazquez’s “Besame Mucho” (with an arrangement by Paul Brown and Jessy J), and she seduces you subtly with soft and tender chords from her tenor sax, as she plays the title track, “Tequila Moon.” On this CD, Jessy J also demonstrates her versatility as an artist by playing the flute (“Fiesta Velada”) and the soprano saxophone (“Poetry Man,” and “Running Away”).  

While Tequila Moon, released on March 4th, possesses a decidedly Spanish flavor, this is not an album featuring rapid-fire percussion beats, nor does it have heavy melody lines. It is instead a lighter fusion between Latin rhythms and melodic pop elements, but all the while retaining a jazz harmonic structure.  

Your Move

On his website, electric bassist Gerald Veasley is quoted as saying that he wants to be “creating more and better music, reaching more people and giving my band its own identity.” His current CD, Your Move, released on March 11th on Heads Up International, goes a long way towards accomplishing that goal.

On this, his eighth solo project, Veasley once again firmly establishes that he is one of the top bass players on the jazz scene and that he was justified in pursuing a solo career, rather than remaining as a sideman. He is fully deserving of having the spotlight shine brightly on his music. Of the ten tracks that comprise Your Move, six were either solely written or co-written by Veasley; three more, including the title track, were written by Chuck Loeb; and there is a collaborative effort between Loeb and Veasley (“Traveling Light”). The remaining track, “Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Again),” was composed by Sylvester Stewart, otherwise known as Sly Stone.

Craig Taborn©Andrea Canter

When two bands share back-to-back billing at the Walker Art Center on March 28th, three of the most incendiary practitioners of modern jazz will serve as the common core of the two diverse ensembles. Saxophonist Tim Berne, pianist Craig Taborn, and drummer Tom Rainey have a long-standing working relationship with each other as Berne’s Acoustic Hard Cell. With bassist Drew Gress and trumpeter Ralph Alessi, they also form Gress’s largely acoustic quintet that recorded the acclaimed Seven Black Butterfiles (Premonition, 2005) and now The Irrational Numbers, released in late 2007. And with producer/guitarist David Torn, they form the quartet that appears on the electrified Prezens, released last summer on ECM. Both new recordings found their way into numerous “best of the year” lists. And despite the overlap in personnel, the two recordings sharply diverge in their approach to a common goal, creating new sounds in settings ripe for inventive improvisation.