“If talent, dedication, and potential were like population, Patrick would be China.” —Hal Crook

Lucid Dream

A recent alum of the Berklee College of Music, Thelonious Monk Institute, and Manhattan School of Music, alto/soprano saxophonist Patrick Cornelius makes his solo recording debut in grand fashion and good company. With sidemen including young lions Aaron Parks (piano), Kendrick Scott (drums), and Nick Vagenas (trombone), veteran bassist Sean Conly, and vocalist Gretchen Parlato, his self-produced Lucid Dream proves that Cornelius has more than stellar academic credentials. And in Manhattan, fans of harmonic modern post bop will have several opportunities to hear this music live in early November.

Patrick Cornelius

A relative newcomer on the New York jazz scene, Patrick Cornelius had a global upbringing as the son of a US Air Force officer, living in such diverse locales as Georgia, Texas, Germany and Great Britain. After studying piano from age 5, he discovered the alto sax in his teens, and soon shifted his priorities from Bartok and Grieg to Parker and Coltrane. Attending high school in San Antonio, Patrick won National Merit and Down Beat scholarships, and then a full tuition scholarship from Billboard to support his studies at Berklee. By graduation, he had already performed at the Blue Note and Monterey and Umbria Festivals, and was selected to further his studies at the Monk Institute. He recently completed graduate studies at Manhattan School of Music and currently has a weekly gig with his quartet at the Mona Lounge on the Upper West Side. His first CD, The Patrick Cornelius/Nick Vagenas Quintet, was released in 2003.

Lucid Dream

Lucid Dream showcases Patrick Cornelius the composer as much as Patrick Cornelius the performer, with six of nine tracks his original compositions. The remaining three tracks include Peter Gabriel’s “Don’t Give Up,” Patrick’s arrangement of Charlie Parker’s “Billie’s Bounce, and Lou Garett’s “April Rain,” arranged by Cornelius in collaboration with pianist Aaron Parks. Overall, Lucid Dream flows easily from one track to the next as if each segment forms a suite with 9 movements.

The opening “This Chair is Broken” immediately introduces the listener to the elegant partnership of Cornelius and Vagenas, melding the spiraling alto lines of the leader with the (unexpected) melodic excitement of the trombone. “Elegance” also defines Aaron Park’s keyboard efforts here and throughout, while bass and drums provide a sturdy foundation. “Winds of Change” begins with a quiet vamp from bass, drum and piano before Cornelius enters on soprano, delivering a mournful, undulating melody over clicky comping from Kendrick Scott. Parks launches a lyrical, sparkling solo over Conly’s dark melodic bass, the piano becoming increasingly assertive and urgent, ultimately resolving as a lyrical accompaniment to Cornelius’ twisting horn. The harmonies evoke traces of Middle Eastern folk music as Conly and Scott break up the pulse before the leader takes it out with a quiet recession.

Parks introduces “Pretty Self Explanatory” with a darkly songful solo. As sax and piano interact, Cornelius sending up a spiral of swirls and curls, while Parks answers with a solo that soars and recedes like ocean tide over Conly’s resonating basslines. The longest track at well over 8 minutes, there is plenty of space for harmonic explorations with a mellow veil. On soprano, Cornelius charges into the head of “Billie’s Bounce,” then proceeds to dismantle Parker’s masterpiece with quick phrases that weave inside out over an urgent undertow from bass and drums. Parks further dissects the theme with some Monkish improvisation, gilded with rumbles and splashes from Scott. Scott particularly adds snap and combustion to the out chorus, although Parks gets the last tinkling word.

Patrick slows the pace on “Alone Now” with beautiful alto phrases, while Parks comps with well-placed chords and conversational fragments. Conly takes the spotlight with a melodic meander, then switches roles with Parks who quietly climbs and retreats, leaving it to the leader to create a majestic resolution. The midtempo “The Woods” evokes two saxophones as Vagenas ventures into a buzzily melodic solo.

Parks is featured on Fender Rhodes on back-to-back tracks. On the title tune, Cornelius’ swirling alto is enhance by the Rhodes’ other-wordly sheen, while Conly provides somber solo. Peter Gabriel’s “Don’t Give Up” is a mellow exhibition, Parks again on Rhodes vamping in tandem with Conly. Vagenas displays his melodic chops on the first improvised passage, yielding to Cornelius’ sweet soprano over sparkling support from Park. The two horns glide to the end on the ethereal wings of the rhythm section.

“April Rain” appears to add another horn, the humming vocalizations of Gretchen Parlato. Parks offers perhaps his most radiant effort of the recording with a luxurious strolling solo; Parlato and Cornelius make an exquisite duo, their harmony as celestial as the cymbal splashes from Kendrick Scott.

This fine effort from Patrick Cornelius and company is aptly titled, as the music is both lucid (accessible, musically logical) and dream-like (filled with fantasy and invention). The harmonies are luminous and the melodies ripe for individual journeys of improvisation, not venturing far into uncharted territory, but taking the listener on a fulfilling tour led by a multi-talented artist on a star-bright trajectory.

The Patrick Cornelius Trio will perform at La Lanterna’s Bar Next Door in Manhattan (129 McDougal Street) on November 3^rd at 8 pm ( http://lalanternacaffe.com/); the larger ensemble (with Nick Vagenas on trombone, Luis Perdamo on piano, Sean Conly on bass, Paul Wiltgen on drums, and Gretchen Parlato on vocals) will be on stage at the Jazz Gallery (290 Hudson Street) on November 9^th, sets at 9 and 10:30 pm ( http://www.jazzgallery.org/). Jazz fans in the UK should note Patrick’s upcoming tour, November 26-December 10. For more information, CD orders, and itinerary, visit www.patrickcornelius.com

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