“…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, shimmering 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 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).

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites