Search - Phineas Newborn Jr :: Solo Piano

At Last! Newborn's Landmark Solo Recording

Robert Burko | Milwaukee, WI USA | 04/18/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"That this recording ever came to be is nothing short of miraculous. After years of sporadic gigs and recording sessions punctuated by stays in various mental institutions, Phineas Newborn, Jr. returned to his native Memphis to be cared for by his mother. Still, Junior would stand on the street corner, talking to himself, laughing at his own private jokes, scaring the neighbors. Forgotten by most of the music world, there were still those who recognized his genius and did what they could to get him back in the recording studio. The late musician Fred Ford was one of those people and he managed to set up and produce sessions for Phineas at Ardent Studios. Given this now rare opportunity, Junior gave it his all, the music flowing from his fingers.The story of these sessions - indeed the story of Phineas Newborn, Jr. - is wonderfully related in author Stanley Booth's biographical essay, "Fascinating Changes". The essay is contained in his book "Rythm Oil" which, I understand, will be back in print in the near future. It is must reading for anyone who wants to understand Newborn's genius. Among other vignettes, Booth relates how, during the period these sessions were recorded, Junior walked into the recording studio and approached the piano. The recording engineer, not knowing who he was, nevertheless started the tape rolling. Phineas started playing "Memphis Blues," one of the tracks on this CD, while standing at the keyboard. He then put his foot on the pedal and sat down - in that order.Tragedy and heartache followed Newborn like a shadow throughout much of his career. Either before or during the sessions that make up this CD, Junior went out one night and came back beaten to a bloody pulp. He ended up in the hospital with his left hand fractured, some of his teeth missing, his nose broken, barely alive. Booth relates how on the day of Newborn's release from the hospital, Junior went to the recording studio and recorded Harold Arlen's "Out Of This World" (also on this CD), his barely healed left hand playing a frenzied ostinato figure. Calvin Newborn, Junior's brother, rightly describes this as a testament of his brother's determination to succeed against all odds, the power of the music overcoming both mental illness and the physical assault.After its initial release, "Solo Piano" earned a Grammy nomination and some praise, then sank into oblivion. Now, twenty five years later, 32 Jazz has re-released the recording on CD. They are to be commended for fulfilling the dreams of many Newborn fans who have been waiting far too long for the CD release as well as for allowing a new generation to discover the genius of Newborn. Why a rating of four stars instead of five? As great as Newborn's only solo album is, some of his earlier solo tracks surpass it. A few of the tracks sound rushed and just a bit rusty. Also, the piano sound isn't the greatest, sounding somewhat harsh, strident, closely miked and in your face . This is baffling, considering the other solo recording by Junior from the same period and recorded in the same studio have a much better piano sound. The CD is mostly in stereo but a couple of tracks switch to mono. Four and a half stars would seem to be a more appropriate rating compared to the rest of Newborn's recorded legacy.Keep in mind that no diamond is without flaws and "Solo Piano" is certainly a diamond. Given the adversity surrounding this recording, "Solo Piano" still belongs in every jazz piano lovers collection. The range of music is wonderful, from a great version of "Willow Weep For Me" that compares favorably with Art Tatum's recording of the song to Newborn's own arrangement of "Where Is The Love", a song made popular by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway in the `70s. "Lorraine's Walk", penned by bassist Oscar Pettiford, allows Newborn to show off his awesome parallel runs. "The Midnight Sun Will Never Set" shows off the poetic side of Newborn's playing to great advantage as does the measured, harmonic performance of Coltrane's "Giant Steps". "Out Of This World" is - - well - - out of this world, full of humor and Afro-Cuban rhythms. As I have already mentioned, Newborn fans have waited far too long for a "Solo Piano" CD release. Listening to it is like having Newborn walk into your living room and giving you an improvised performance on the family piano, gracing you with his musical genius. Buy the CD and relish this rare opportunity to listen to Newborn, one of the world's most underrated musicians, in what is arguably his most intimate setting."