Search - Jim Beard :: Truly

Highly original, category-stretching, occasionally brilliant

12/17/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The music on this album is almost impossible to categorize, but one possible label might be "post-modernist" fusion; "post-modernist" in the sense that Jim Beard manages to incorporate a dizzying variety of musical styles, eras, devices, timbres, riffs, cliches, devices into a suprisingly coherent, masterfully wrought and totally LISTENABLE end product. On the surface the CD is a hodge-podge of styles, but repeated listenings reveal it to be a meticulously crafted and even occasionally brilliant musical statement. His mastery of studio technique combined with an uncanny instinct for taking simple ideas and imbuing them with deeper harmonic and rhythmic beauty (a la Bach's treatment of chorale tunes)is one of the most delightful aspects of this album. I nearly fell off my chair when I heard the blatantly corny "Dooly-wop" chorus of the opening track. But to my amazement, the track works amazingly well, thanks to the subtle harmonic nudges he includes throughout. Beard manages to infuse jazz-fusion with something it seriously lacks: a sense of humor. This aspect of Beard's latest work is somewhat of a surprise. I knew Jim Beard slightly when I was in graduate school many years ago, and back then he struck me as a very serious jazz pianist with a love for synthesizers and diverse styles of music. His evident love of synthesizers (including the "old-fashioned" timbres of the earlier models, the Moog, etc.) is evident in this album. The goofy, post-modernist sense of humor came as a pleasant surprise to me. (Check out the CD cover and titles, for instance.) One final note: Jim Beard is probably one of the most under-rated pianists of his generation, partly because he subsumes his wonderful touch, his harmonic mastery, and his technique into the music itself. He obviously works more as a composer and a craftsman of sounds---much like Zawinul in this way---but his piano playing is truly wonderful and stands on its own (like Zawinul's). This album is, if nothing else, a lot of fun. For what it's worth, my 2-year-old daughter loves it."

Truly... an engaging composer!

Sonny | Tyler, Texas United States | 06/09/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jim Beard has once again given us the gift of pure and beautiful talent. Like 'Sun of the Sun' and 'Lost at the Carnival', Beard creates music from scratch.One quality that Jim Beard has established, atleast with me, is instant likablity And like a fresh baked piece of blackberry pie, coffee and good company, the richly layered potential of life is discovered.
Does this music belong in the "Jazz" section? Absolutely, right next to the Weather Report CDs. and others who pioneer new paths for others to follow. Indeed! Down with alphabetical devisions.
Want more? Buy this Album."

Indescribably Entertaining....

Have Charm Will Travel | Florida | 08/23/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"....if your a fan of buzz.... intelligence.... humor.... the gifted.... experimental.... groove... the new.... the whimsical.... the surprise.... the extreme opposite to boredom/complacency.... reverence... irreverence... virtuosity.... hip... transporting.... happy... cosmopolitan.... big city/far away magical places [at the same time, no less].... Zappa without the arrogance/attitude...



then, buy this CD....



NO, RUN BUY THIS CD



it may just save your life"