Customer Reviews

Freefall

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I stumbled onto a used copy of this CD and was pleasantly suprised by the beautiful interactions between Kenny Barron and Regina Carter. "Freefall" gave me flashbacks of the classic duos recorded by Chick Corea & Gary Burton, Ralph Towner & John Abercrombie and one of my favorites, McCoy Tyner & Bobby Hutcherson. This is Sunday morning - reading the NY Times kind of Jazz. The music is challenging enough to make you listen closely, yet it is also soothingly quiet at medium to low volume levels. My favorite tracks are "Fragile", "Shades of Gray", "Footprints" and "A Flower." You can really feel the musicians passion the way they play these songs. Carter and Barron fit together like a soft glove on a warm hand. I love this kind of Jazz because it fits many different moods and always leave me with a smile. I am ready for a follow up recording. Enjoy!

It has been said that jazz is America's classical music. Never is that more apparent than when listening to this cd. These improvised duets come off at times, like sonatas for violin and piano (or sonatas for piano and violin, as W. A. Mozart often made the distinction). From the first strains of music that come from this album, you realize that your in for something special, something unique in this age of bass, drums, percussion, guitar and/or anything else that can constitute a "modern rhythm section" as far as a jazz recording is concerned. At times the level of intimacy reached on this album reminded me of the "Undercurrent" album by Bill Evans and Jim Hall or the "1+1" album recoreded by Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter.

The album begins with a Latin, quasi-Afro-Cuban treatment of the jazz standard "Softly as in a Morning Sunrise" and it is brilliant! There are reasons why since the 1700's composers have consistently used the piano in duets with one other instrument (take your pick, violin, guitar, flute, saxophone, bass, cello, clarinet, the human voice, etc.) and Kenny Barron gives us ample answers as to what those reasons are...chief among them being that the piano can be a percussion instrument first, and one that plays notes second. His sense of rhythmic placement is unbelievable, so much so that half way through the first song, though you never forget that there are only two people playing, you never feel the need to whine, "I wish there were some drums or percussion or bass or just another person on this album." Indeed, the entirety of this broad and far-reaching album seems to dispel the notion that these two are, "just not enough."

Sting's song "Fragile", from the 1987 ...Nothing Like the Sun album is given a wonderful treatment. Since the song was written by a pop-rock artist (albeit a prodigiously talented one, the term "pop-rock" was not meant to be derogatory) there are fewer chord changes for the duo to work through as opposed to a typical "jazz composition". Kenny Barron's harmonic adventures are incredible as are Regina Carter's imaginative devices used to accompany behind his solos. This is one of the pieces, along with the song "Phantoms," that has a very European-classical sonata feel to it due to the strength of the melody line itself (gotta give it up to those "pop-rock" composers) Beautiful.

There are also times in songs like "Freefall", when the duets are reminiscent of late 19th into 20th century composers like Bela Bartok (see: Bartok sonatas for violin and piano...folk dances), Maurice Ravel or Zoltan Kodaly (see: Duet for Violin and Cello) or Carl Maria von Weber and Charles Ives as well as Thelonious Monk, especially on the Barron-penned "What If."

I implore all European-classical music lovers to pick up this album because, while this is a jazz album, neither Barron nor Carter are ignorant of the tremendous legacy that their respective instruments have had on the music of the last 300-400 years.

I also implore all jazz music lovers to pick up this album (that is if you haven't already) because it is a treat to be able to witness two musicians interacting on such an intimate level, creating and conversing right before your ears. Regina Carter never takes a back seat at any point though she gets second billing for this cd. And even when comping behind Kenny Barron, her presence is rock solid (just listen to "Shades of Gray") Wonderful!

Some people find risk-taking a "rush," while others find it purely terrifying and not-to-be-desired. This CD, an unlikely pairing at first glance, falls in the former category for this listener. I have been a big Regina Carter fan since I heard her on Stever Turre's LOTUS FLOWER (another great CD) and have since gathered all of her solo efforts. I am familiar with Kenny Barron's last several CDs. I like them both separately, but I wasn't sure what to think of them together. . . .

That's one of the reasons I'm not a record executive! The "gamble," if it was one, paid off big-time, as these two wind their way around each other and the songs' melodies, occasionally reaching what some would call a "freefall," until one of them pulls the ripcord and opens the chute. The opening track, "Softly as in a Morning Sunrise," is simply gorgeous. I love what they do with Monk's "Misterioso" and Wayne Shorter's "Footprints." The title track is all it promises to be: they are all over the place, flailing wildly at moments, and only they know when the right moment occurs to reign in all of that energy. "A Flower" is a simply beautiful and quiet way to land and close the CD.

Barron provides most of the steady undercurrent, while Carter improvises and roams all over the charts. Only very occasionally did I miss a bass or drum set. These two can hold their own! (Next time, though, let's add Dave Holland or Gary Peacock or even Greg Cohen, just to crank it up another notch. . . !) If you like the idea of the wind rushing wildly through your hair as you fall freely to the ground, then you will likely love this CD. Those of you who are a bit more cautious might want to listen to a couple of tracks before jumping out. . . .

I just bought this incredible work after hearing it played on KCSM in San Mateo. Words to describe it should include: precise, inventive, playful, beautiful, expressive, exciting. The pieces have no difficulty in moving between highly disparate idioms such as blues, 20th century music (I hear Bartok, Webern, Stravinsky), impressionism, and bop. There is not a dull moment on this CD; it develops constantly and has enough ideas to satisfy throughout. This is my favorite jazz in quite some time.

What happens when you take T Monk, D Brubeck, Duke Ellington, Stephane Grappelli, and Igor Stravinsky, put 'em in a bag and do shake-n-bake? You get This _fantasic_ CD!

Let me share what I wrote to my older brother with a copy of the disk that I sent him:

Bob,
Here is a CD for you. I heard one of the cuts on the radio, thought it sounded good, liked the violin as an example for Maria, so I bought it.
It is sooo good I have purchased 5 copies for gifts!
I remember when you bought Brubeck's "Time Out" album, what a sensation it was. It was so new and fresh and different. It stretched the listener's experience and challenged his preconceptions.
That is the way I feel about this. It is the most exciting album I have heard in a long time. This is not something you put on as background music, however, especially the first time. You really have to sit down and *listen* to it. You will find it simply amazing! (At least I hope so. ;-)

Merry Christmas! And enjoy!

Regina is one of my favorite modern artists- in this album with Kenny, you hear how well they play off of one another. A lot of her rhythms are hypnotic and make you want to dance, or else try to steal her talent! My favorites on this album would have to be Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise, Phantoms, and Flower. Of course, all the songs are good, except that Misterioso got on my nerves. Otherwise, it's a jewel of a CD.

It is amazing that someone as great as Regina Carter has come along and is playing today--we are very fortunate. This is a consistently inspired, very beautiful album. Kenny Barron is as great as always, and Regina's talent never ceases to astound me. I will be playing this one often for the rest of my life.

this cd played well only one song had a problem but it is ok , please change my review to a 5 star . thanks

I heard one number from this album on our local jazz radio station and fell in love! So - ordered the album immediately. It is wonderful - albeit, some of the numbers are a bit "out-there" for my ears. But I'm determined to continue listening until I develop an appreciation. They are a wonderful combo - each feeling with the other. She is a very strong player. I'm so glad I purchased this album.

If ever music conveyed the joy of creating, this is the perfect example. It's almost as though you can hear the laughter and love and joy that must have been part of the recording experience. The musicianship is wonderful and each song is a delight. I've been listening to this over and over and haven't gotten the least bit tired of any of it.