Search - :: Standards Trio: Reflections

Kurt Rosenwinkel is rightfully most celebrated for being a 21-century innovator of new music, begins the liner notes by Ethan Iverson for Rosenwinkels latest album (his eighth as leader) titled "Standards Trio: Reflections". This album of standards offers a clear view of Kurt as a jazz guru.

A onetime sideman in Gary Burton & Joe Hendersons bands, Rosenwinkel has released a string of some of the most potent and original recordings of the last decade. On "Standards Trio: Reflections", the highly anticipated followup to 2007s dynamic "The Remedy - Live at the Village Vanguard", he delves into the harmonic fabric of several beautiful standards in an intimate trio setting, accompanied by bassist Eric Revis (a longtime member of the Branford Marsalis Quartet) and drummer Eric Harland (a member of the Charles Lloyd Quartet and the SFJAZZ Collective).

Whereas Kurt Rosenwinkel's previous album "The Remedy Live At The Village Vanguard" caught Kurt with his quintet in a high-wired set of extended solos on original compositions, on "Standards Trio: Reflections" he luxuriates in an almost-all-ballads program. From relaxed renditions of Wayne Shorters Ana Maria and Fall, to elegant interpretations of Thelonious Monks Ask Me Now and Reflections to gorgeous readings of standards like More Than Youll Know, Youve Changed and You Go To My Head, Rosenwinkel embraces these timeless melodies with rare nuance and soul. He includes one original in the collection, a stirring remake of the title track from his 1996 debut as a leader "East Coast Love Affair" a song of which Iverson states: "Kurt has been playing this as long as Ive been listening to him. At this point it almost qualifies as a standard."

Perhaps Kurt Rosenwinkels most refined and engaging project to date, "Standards Trio: Reflections" reveals a warmer side to this gifted, multi-directional musician.