Customer Reviews

Above Blue / Same River Twice

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

when you have well conceived compositions that direct the improvisations. The improvisations become purposeful and integrated with the moods and style of the compostion, which is superior to the "same changes, different chorus" mentatlity.

For all of his compositional skill, that is the problem with Wynton Marsalis's ensembles. Wynton writes clever and crafty passages, but when they come to the improvisation, nothing is retained from what was established by the composition, except the chord changes as usual. It is as if they were playing with Jamey Aebersold records.

Fortunately, we have Myra Melford.

Like her Same River Twice bandmate Dave Douglas, Melford's compositions walk the line between structure and free with a wonderful intensity. For me, Melford is closer to a genre straddler like Don Pullen than she is to Cecil Taylor. Like that late pianist who combined the density of Taylor's explorations with the blues, Melford takes the free tradition and adds a bit of Zen synchronicity to her harmonic and rhythmic shakeups. If you like this, be sure to check out Melford's collaboration with Joseph Jarman and Leroy Jenkins in the group Equal Interest.

Another brilliant release from Myra Melford's "Same River Twice" band. Melford's manic flourishes lean toward the more adventurous fringes of free jazz, but she also knows how to linger over a melody and let her virtuoso band take center stage. Sometimes she's the calm before the storm, sometimes she's a hurricane, but she's always brilliant. And for me, any CD featuring Dave Douglas, Erik Friedlander and Chris Speed is a must-buy for any fan of contemporary avant-jazz.

Thoughtful, intelligently crafted compositions with plenty of space for the band to shine. First class!

Is it just me, or are women taking over Jazz? Maybe it's about time. Myra Melford is a formidable pianist with interesting ideas. Like a TRUE Jazz player, she understands the tradition without apeing it. She has worked with some greats, including Henry Threadgill, and you can hear his influence on her work. I also hear a fair bit of Cecil Taylor in her playing, but her style is more lyrical and less percussive, and I dare say she has better chops than the old master.

I like her as a clever composer and a leader as well as a pianist, and the other players on this eclectic album acquit themselves very well, but it is principally for the beautiful flow of her playing that I listen to it. That said, she does a fine job of balancing improvisation and structure, and that is non trivial (John Zorn does this extremely well, as does Threadgill), and so the ensemble aspects of this album are well worth a listen.

Melford and group are wonderful here. Songs are structured and beautiful lending, as stated in another review, an excellent platform for the solos.

Melford is a greatly underrated player. The fact that Dave Douglas is a sideman speaks volumes about the respect she receives from fellow musicians.

The intensity of the musicians makes this necessary music...Myra has digested Cecil Taylor (among others!), and it's nice to hear someone besides Matthew Shipp who has done so. Great music, acknowledging the past while pushing into the future.