Search - Aaron Goldberg :: Worlds

Beautiful, intriguing, and stimulating listening;sublime syn

stephen watkins | denver, co United States | 05/11/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Aaron Goldberg, and his trio( incl.,Eric Harland,drums & Reuben Rogers ,bass),along with Louciana Souza, and Kurt Rosenwinkel have produced an album of great beauty, and depth.After listening to it once through, I was compelled to listen to it again, right away!Somehow, this cd rewards repeated listenings-there's nothing predictable about it;yet, it is easy to feel comfortable, while being exposed to unusual meters, harmonies,instrumentation, and energy!This one's a keeper, a collection of solid tunes, and equally solid players-all with a great simpatico.Easily-5 STARS!!!(Thanks for the tip Brian)













































"

The Most Memorable Jazz Album of 2006

Sal Costa | Brighton, UK | 09/21/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an outstanding album by an outstanding band - Aaron Goldberg on piano, Reuben Rogers on bass and Eric Harland on drums.



The title "Worlds" seems to be a reference to range of influences at work on the music on this album. The opening track, Lambada de Serpente, starts with simple piano figure played over a three chord sequence before a snaking melody comes in on piano and bowed bass. The drums come in a with a loping latin feel, played by hand, gradually waking up as brushes come in. As with several of the tune, the first solo is on the bass. This suits the tune because it has plenty of space for subtleties to be heard.



Another highlight is Kianda's Song, a two-minute jewel featuring the worldless voice of Brazilian vocalist Luciana Souza. The piece has a strong Brazilian feel - not the Brazil of Jobim but that of Villa Lobos who combined folk music with JS Bach in pieces like Bachianas Brasileiras. A piano introduction precedes the tune sung by Luciana in a low-ish register, before moving up an octave. Her voice is stunning both in its range and its sensual qualities.



Unstablemates is very much in the stop start Bill Evans/Paul Motian tradition, seamlessly melding composed and improvised segments. The soloing has astrong does of bebop phrasing, but there isn't a single note wasted.



Ther are a couple of Jobim tunes - Modhina starts atmosphercially with plucked piano strings and the tune played out of time before moving into a slow bluesy feel for the soloing. Inutil Paisagem (Useless Landscape) is played very slowly and, overeall, feels most like the Brad Mehldau trio. Unusally, Reuben uses electric bass and takes the first solo, reminding me of guitarist Wes Montgomery who played bass on his Movin' Along album.



The best performance on the album is probably Oud to Omer, where they are joined by Kurt Rosenwinkel. The Oud in question is the four-stringed Middle-Eastern lute and the melody has has the intricate feel of an Egyptian or Turkish melody. Kurt's exploratory solo show off his virtuosity and his ability to take his solos to places rarely visited by other guitarists. He seems to explore every note available to him while still making rhythmic, harmonic and melodic sense.



These guys make beautiful music sound effortless. Their obvious virtuosity is completely subservient to the demands of the music, and they have play as if they have nothing to prove. It has a nice balance between sounding composed and improvised and could quite easily be heard in the concert hall or the jazz club.



Like the Brad Mehldau trio, this trio has its roots in the sound and approach of the early Bill Evans Trio. Both are tightly integrated units and both have the abilty to intelligently desconstruct and breathe life into standard tunes. With Brad Mehldau, the piano is usually firmly at the fore, with Aaron's band there seems to be a better balance and more subtle interplay between the individual instruments. Brad relies a lot on rhythmic drive, whereas Aaron is a cooler player with strong sense of dynamics and composition. For Brad, the European classical/romantic piano tradition (e.g. Schubert) is an obvious reference point, whereas Aaron's repertoire is more varied in terms of time feel and modality, often suggesting South American or Middle-Eastern references (Oud to Omer is an obvious example).



It's highly likely there's not enough room in the world of jazz promotion to support another leading piano trio. Don't let that put you off, this is an outstanding album."

Fantastic piano talent!

Joseph Scott | 03/04/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great trio album (with guest appearances from Kurt Rosenwinkel and Luciana Souza). Aaron has phenomenal technique and an inventive and passionate yet refined style of piano playing. Eric Harland and Reuben Rogers are at the top of the list of younger jazz musicians right now. The tunes are great. The arrangements are great. There isn't a dull moment. I honestly can't think of anything bad to say about this album.

If you like modern jazz, get it."