Lynne Arriale

Over the past decade, critical jazz audiences have experienced the evolution of Lynne Arriale as one of the most elegant and spirited voices of jazz piano, her style marked by exquisite melodies, deceptively simple lines, and “flawless touch, an impeccable sense of complex rhythms and a harmonic curiosity” (Jazz Times). Even following her switch to Motema records and subsequent release of three acclaimed recordings in three years (Arise, Come Together, and Live), her trio remains far less visible in the US versus Europe, despite individual and collective talents that easily compare to the perennial high flyers (Jarrett, Mehldau, Moran, Charlap), and perhaps even more so to the critically acclaimed (if also less familiar) ensembles of Fred Hersch and Kenny Werner.

Adopted as an infant, Lynne Arriale grew up in Milwaukee. She discovered the keyboard at age 3 when given a plastic toy piano, and “never stopped.” Earning a masters’ degree in classical music from the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, she was well into her 20s before turning to jazz. Later she learned that her biological mother was a jazz vocalist—and perhaps there is something to heredity here as Arriale is as songful a pianist as one could imagine.

The Lynne Arriale Trio has been the artist’s singular emphasis. Only a handful of pianists have exploited this format as successfully and fewer with comparable longevity (think of Oscar Peterson, Keith Jarrett, and, more similarly, Bill Evans). One ingredient to her success has been Arriale’s focus on the melody regardless of where spontaneous improvisation takes her; in fact she titled a mid-90s release on TCB as simply Melody. “I want the music in a vocal range….and the most important thing is to have a melody that stands alone without harmony attached… improvisations should be extensions of the melody.” Listening to Arriale’s compositions, you can almost hear vocal accompaniment, and in fact she reports that she does sing as she composes. "Teachers used to tell me: 'You have to sing this line.'...It took me years to teach my fingers how to sing."

Yet don’t confuse Arriale’s emphasis on melodic line with conservatism—she can deconstruct time and rhythm as creatively as any modern improviser, be it transforming Bernstein’s “America” into calypso or Monk’s “Bemsha Swing” into abstract funk. I made the mistake once of asking her if she would be playing her “own” compositions in an upcoming set. Kindly, she noted that “I like to think that anything I play is ‘my’ composition, meaning that whatever I play, I turn it into my own.” And indeed, she does, In comparison to some of her contemporaries, Arriale’s style is pared down to the essentials. “The idea is that each note should hold its own weight and not to waste any notes…” This economy of line may make her music more accessible and more immediate, yet the music emanates a complexity created not by multiple layers of notes, but by multiple layers of emotion.

For over a decade, Arriale’s trio partners have included drummer Steve Davis and (mostly) bassist Jay Anderson. In the past year, Thomson Kneeland has usually filled the bass chair, and will be her partner at the Langston Hughes House. Once the home of Harlem Renaissance writer Langston Hughes, the brownstone in Harlem was reopened earlier this year, housing Motema Records, recording studios, and a performance parlor where this summer’s “June, Jazz and Cognac” series has added an intimate venue to the JVC Festival.

Arriale will perform on one of the famed Fazioli concert grands. Built in northern Italy for the past 30 years specifically for concert hall performances, the Fazioli has been hailed for its incredible sound quality. Klavierhaus in Manhattan is the American distributor, and often the scene of Favioli concerts. One recent performer, pianist Deanna Witokowski (and herself a former winner of the Great American Piano Competition), noted on hearing the Fazioli for the first time that “the sound was so rich, emotive, and dynamic that I was moved to the point of tears.” And it is the instrument of choice for pianist Herbie Hancock, who purchased his own Fazioli in 2003. Says Herbie, this “piano can, with the sound of one note, announce the celebration of the freedom and creativity of the human spirit."

One such creative spirit is Lynne Arriale. Her four sets over two nights, playing one of the world’s most incredible instruments, is one of the “hidden” highlights of the JVC Festival. Don’t miss it.

Lynne Arriale and Thomson Kneeland perform June 22-23, 8 and 10 pm, at the Langston Hughes House at 20 E. 127^th Street (Harlem); This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 212-222-5394.