Marilyn Crispell, Vignettes (ECM, 2008)

I can think of few pairs of recordings as divergent as these despite the identical presentation—solo jazz piano. The similarity between Marilyn Crispell and Eyran Katsenelenbogen pretty much ends at the piano bench save the fact that both are consummate musicians for whom the keyboard acts as an extension of mind and soul, for whom all 88 keys serve as an expressive palette. And both are graduates of the New England Conservatory of Music. Where Crispell’s Vignettes are delicate fragments, Eyran’s 88 Fingers are thick sedimentations. Both offer inquisitive, personal probes, Crispell primarily of her own compositions, Eyran entirely drawing on existing repertoire. Artistic brilliance comes in divergent shapes. 

Vignettes

"Hearing Marilyn Crispell play solo piano is like monitoring an active volcano. She is one of a very few pianists who rise to the challenge of free jazz." --The New York Times

Marilyn Crispell©Claire Stefani

Most pieces make their points quickly although a few top seven minutes—nothing is extended beyond a natural point of resolution, and many of these feel like personal exercises in improvisation, harmony and rhythm to which we have been invited as observers. Crispell displays a Jamal-like patience in executing her ideas, never rushed, never letting go of a key until the tone has fulfilled its purpose. Totally acoustic, at times there is an electronic ambience, nearly inaudible notes that seem contrary to human execution. Rhythms and moods shift suddenly, within and between tracks, yet never seem abrupt in meaning. Even in her most powerful arpeggios and chord combinations, Crispell never crosses to bombast, her articulation always clean, notes tumbling but distinct, chords often extended in idiocyncratic intervals, a wide range of emotion covered by her voicings.   

The centerpiece (though scattered throughout the first two-thirds of the set) is the series of "Vignettes," simply designated as I-VII. Vignette I opens the recording, while Vignettes II-V fill the center, with another separation before Vignettes VI and VII complete the series. Other than the last (4 minutes), these are short studies of one to three minutes. More fragments than defined works, the Vignettes are crystal chimes that sometimes collide, sometimes move apart, leaving wide spaces at either end of the keyboard. Crispell’s odd yet strangely beautiful note pairings are usually slowly rendered as if to give us time to absorb the dissonant voices and find the harmony through her long sustains and thoughtful pauses. Quick sequences, slow voicings and dynamic punctuations suggest that she is modeling her phrases on human conversation. Somehow Crispell breathes quiet passion into the austerity and simplicity of these compositions, displaying a profound spirituality wrapped in a delicate accessibility.  

88 Fingers

"…his playing…is at times introspective, at times explosive, but at all times dynamic and challenging…” (Cadence Magazine) 

Eyran Katsenelenbogan©Vincere Sylph

His latest release is aptly titled; Eyran at times seems to have a finger for every key. The sixteen tracks include many (but not all) familiar standards and two original improvisations on classical themes. Even over the course of relatively brief performances (few tracks exceed 5 minutes), there’s too much going on to take in at one hearing--how Eyran voices his chords, how he builds sequences of emotion, how he adapts and shifts rhythm, how he touches the keys, how he evokes other instruments and orchestration. The directions for listening are endless: the delicacy of Johnny Mandel’s “Close Enough for Love”; the swinging cascades of “Mack the Knife”; the Tatumesque embroidery of “Lover” and “Dream a Little Dream of Me”; the sweeping majesty of “September Song”; the filigree phrasing of “Midnight With the Stars.”

“Night in Tunisia” is a frenetic interpretation where stride propulsion and Monkish pranks intersect; “Those Were the Days” evokes two pianos, with a separate counterpoint in the bassline while the treble embellishments suggest a balalaika. Berlin’s “What’ll I Do?” seems danceable despite its dark voicings, Eyran traversing the keyboard as if stroking harp strings, working indeed with all 88 keys. His variations on the Promenade theme from “Pictures at an Exhibition” swings in a playfully jagged fashion, with a driving rhythm in the bassline and an angular blues pouring out from the right hand. Most intriguing is the juxtaposition of "Maura’s Tune" by Earl Egdall and Eyran’s improvisation on Chopin’s “Waltz Number 7” in C-Sharp Minor. On first hearing, one wonders if there’s been a reversal in the set list, as the lyrically intricate (if a bit schmaltzy) “Maura’s Tune” sounds more Chopin-like than does the following track. I had to listen to the original Chopin and the “Improvisation” several times to uncover the melody, the rhythm distorted into almost tango moments—surely Eyran’s “valse brilliante!”  

Andrea Canter blogs at www.jazzink.blogspot.com  

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