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“…piano trio jazz
of the highest order.” --Bob Protzman (Downbeat, WQLN-FM)
 CD cover One of the Twin Cities’ most
accomplished jazz pianists, Laura Caviani maintains a busy schedule
as performer, composer, and educator. Leading her own small
ensembles, keyboarding for Pete Whitman’s Departure Point and X-Tet
as well as Soul Café, frequently performing with the Jazz MN
Big Band, and accompanying vocalists from local songbirds Prudence
Johnson and Lucia Newell to nationally acclaimed Grammy nominee Karrin Allyson--on top
of teaching privately and at Carleton and St. Olaf Colleges in
Northfield--has not given Laura much time in the recording studio.
Her 2001 solo effort, In Your Own Sweet Way, was described in
the Minneapolis Star Tribune as “poised right where the
salon meets the saloon, with as much spunk as serenity.” Her
holiday tribute album, Angels We Haven’t Heard, is a
long-standing popular holiday staple in local music. Finally, Laura
Caviani has a new recording, a trio effort featuring compatriots from
her tours with Karrin Allyson, bassist Bob Bowman and drummer Todd
Strait. Going There (Caviani Music) was well worth the wait.
 Photo by Ann Marsden The choice of Bowman and Strait seemed
a logical one to Caviani. “I met Bob and Todd
through Karrin Allyson back in the early '90's, shortly after she
moved there [Kansas City] from Minneapolis, “said Laura. “She
often brought me down to perform with her, and I was fortunate to
play with them all a number of times, both in Kansas City and for a
variety of jazz festivals and tours, including a tour to Japan in
'98. Bob and Todd have always held a very special place in my heart.
They are both consummate musicians who have always been supportive of
both my playing and my writing. I chose Bob and Todd because I have
always like how they played on my originals.”
On
“Going There,” Laura Caviani displays a wide range of harmony and
passion, temporal deconstructions, shimmering lyricism, and boundless
imagination as she takes us on an enchanting journey through nine
original compositions (including a surprising vocal) and an
arrangement of Sibelius’ “This is My Song. ” But really, these
are all Laura’s songs. Presenting a master class in the
inventive range of mainstream jazz, her trio brings a simmering glow to each track, the interactions among the musicians
falling somewhere between telepathy and mutual admiration. Recorded,
mixed and mastered by Matthew Zimmerman at Wild Sound Studios in
Minneapolis, the audio is impeccable.
There’s a very blue thread running
through these selections. The title track “Going There” is a
Dixie delta-tinged float down a river of melody, quirky shifts, and
stops. “Tobacco Blues” brings bending rhythms to a playfully
souful groove, while the low-key sass of “Watching the Game”
decomposes into an increasingly complex blues. The lyrical finesse
and interactive embroidery of the trio highlight “In the Interim,”
which features quick, darting melodic phrases with sliding fills. In
a similar vein, “Paper Cranes” delicately floats on air like
origami cranes, reminiscent of lyrical, moody European modernists
like Esbjorn Svensson. Strait sets his cymbals to the task of
creating a glistening backdrop for the melodic piano, while Bowman’s
basslines support the mesh. On “The Gilded Cage,” a distinct
melodic line is surrounded by a collaborative loom, silken thread
spinning around wicker. The set closes elegantly with the Evanescent
tribute to the late Bobby Peterson, “In His Hands,” followed by
the rippling “Cascadia.”
Two tracks warrant special comment.
“This Is My Song,” a rearrangement of Sibelius’ “Finlandia”
theme, retains the majesty of the Scandanavian landscape, celestial
chords washing over filagree lines. Of her choice to include this
tune as the one cover, Laura notes that “This
…was a song I grew up listening to, but recently performed at
Gethsemane Episcopal Church in downtown Minneapolis with Pete
Whitman. The lyric of the song seems especially timely, and I thought
it would be a nice twist to have the only non-original entitled,
‘This Is My Song.’”
The biggest
surprise on this CD, and arguably the most enjoyable track, is
“Between the Lines.” Showcasing Caviani’s skill as a
lyricist as well as composer of catchy melodies, her own rimey vocals
and a splendid horn section (frequent collaborators Pete Whitman on
sax, Dave Jensen on trumpet, and Jeff Rinear on trombone) add a
perfect bite. Of her decision to sing on the
recording, Laura notes that “I have a new found respect for
vocalists after recording my first vocal! It was most definitely a
fun experience, but it was challenging, too. My hope is that a real
vocalist will like the song well enough to want to record it
him/herself. At the time we were recording, it just seemed easiest to
‘get it out there.’ Some songs just need to be sung. This
is just a fun song, and it felt right to have it be my debut vocal. I
am so grateful to Prudence [Johnson] for encouraging me to sing! Doing
back-ups with her and Gary Rue on the Millay project gave me the
courage to go ahead and sing some more on my own project.”
 Photo by Andrea Canter Going There
will have its official triple-header release in January, with both
Bowman and Strait on hand, starting in Laura’s childhood environs
of St. Cloud (January 14), moving to her current teaching locale of
Northfield (January 15), and winding up at the Dakota in Minneapolis
on January 18 (see below). But you don’t need to wait for the
party--the recording is available at such outlets as the Electric
Fetus and Applause/Cheapo Records. Need a last-minute holiday gift?
Any fan of great music will appreciate Going There.
Going There is now
available at
www.lauracaviani.com,
www.cdbaby.com,
The Electric Fetus (612-870-1747; www. efetus.com); Borders Midway
(651-641-0026); Barnes and Noble (651-639-9256); and all
Cheapo/Applause stores in the Twin Cities. Help Laura celebrate the
release of her new CD in January: In St. Cloud, Saturday,
January 14, 7:30 pm, at the Paramount
Theatre (913 St. Germain, St; 320-259-5463; $20/$18,
www.paramountarts.org).
In Northfield, Sunday, January 15, 3:00 pm at the Carleton College
Concert Hall (1 North College St; 507-646-4350; free). In downtown
Minneapolis, Wednesday, January 18, 7 & 9 pm at the Dakota Jazz
Club (1010 Nicollet Mall; 612-332-1010, $10 cover;
www.dakotacooks.com).
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Wednesday, 07 January 2009
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