Search - Richie Beirach :: Elm

Superb, Mature, Breathtakingly Lovely Piano Trio Music

Stephen Silberman | SF, CA USA | 07/26/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You're lucky you stumbled onto this page in the Amazon sea: Richard Beirach is one of the most brilliant -- and overlooked -- jazz pianists of our era, and this is probably his best album. Melodies like "Elm" are suffused with a particular kind of melancholy and mature reflection that's hard to come by, even in jazz. If you like the classic Evans trios, you may like this, but there's nothing derivative or retro about it. Beirach plays with none of the Tyner-Evans-Jarrett cliches that infect lesser players (though, granted, he has a couple of his own.) This is thoroughly modern piano trio music, both intellectually elegant and passionate, swinging like mad (DeJohnette!), and highly melodic and lyrical. The level of communication in this trio is sublime -- though Beirach played brilliantly with John Abercrombie in the (sadly out-of-print!) Abercrombie Quartet, he found the perfect collaborators in (equally underappreciated) George Mraz and Jack DeJohnette.I used to think "Eon" was Beirach's best album, but it hasn't worn as well as "Elm." This session was tightly focused, with motifs appearing and reappearing throughout; the whole album is nearly a suite. Beirach has recorded "Elm" on several occasions, but this is the best: diamond-sharp, sad, and triumphant at once. His compositions are strong here, and the recording quality is, of course, peerless.An absolutely wonderful -- and now nearly forgotten -- album."

Will set you free

Mister Twister | New York, NY | 05/20/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a classic ECM album. Very clean but also very adventurous. Jack DeJohnette is in rare form on this one, and if you know his playing then you know that's saying a lot. The groove he and George Mraz establish is always driving, in that loose but propulsive 70s way, whether they're playing a ballad or a quasi-bossa or a way-uptempo jam. Richie Beirach always sounded to me like a cross between Keith Jarrett and McCoy Tyner, and this album is a good example. If that doesn't make you want to hear it then you probably won't like it."

One of 'Those' albums

Arthur Hampton | Rohnert Park, CA USA | 03/30/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"that I had to replace when I went from vinyl to CD. I couldn't find it for the longest time, but here it is as an expensive Japanese import. I paid the price. 'Sea Priesters' is actually 'Sea Priestess' of course. That is an amazing piece, with a long, subtle, quiet drum solo by DeJohnette which is unforgettable. Beirach's playing is accessible here, unlike some of his more recent and abstract stuff. Where is Richie now? He's a living national treasure. Elm is a nice tune, but there are other pieces on this album that are as fine. I cannot recommend this more highly."