Search - Alan Pasqua :: Alan Pasqua Dedications

Pianist Alan Pasqua has dedicated his second Postcards CD to the incredibly rich tradition of jazz. On Dedications, his compositions cover the whole stylistic spectrum from swing and bebop through today's polytonality and modality, and are heard in trio, quartet, and quintet settings. Building from a core trio featuring Dave Holland and Paul Motian (who have rarely recorded together) on four tunes, Pasqua adds Michael Brecker (on seldom-heard soprano saxophone) on one tune, and then creates two different quintets, one with both Michael and Randy Brecker, and one with Randy Brecker and Gary Bartz. From the lush, ducal "Ellingtonia" through the ethereal modality of "San Michele," Alan Pasqua accomplishes the challenging task of leaving his unique and masterful imprint on this homage to the giants of the tradition. "Dedications,"says Pasqua, turning to his 1996 CD, "is my way of paying tribute to the positive influences on my life. Art, music, spirituality, family . . . I draw upon all of these whenever I?m playing or composing." "I wanted to take tradition and put my own stamp on it," he continues, describing how he approached the compositions. "I found myself going back to my roots in jazz, back to an earlier perspective on jazz, to the styles I grew up with musically, and then reshaping the traditions, embellishing them -- finding my own voice, making a more modern statement. It was like taking one step backward to take two steps forward."