Customer Reviews

Just Play

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Just Play is the perfect title for this album. While there are three Pilo originals here, and most of the cover tunes get fresh treatments or even reharmonized (as in the case of the bridge to "Softly As In a Morning Sunrise"), this is a player's album; the songs are vehicles for the players to do their thing.

And play they do. The essential band is drums, Fender Rhodes and electric bass, though the keys are split between Mitchel Forman and Ed Czach, and the bass chair is split between six different players. Doug Web and Roman Dudok play sax on two tunes each. Nevertheless, this sounds like one group throughout the course of the CD.

Much of this CD is a love letter to Herbie Hancock, and not just because of the instrumentation. "Early Cynical Mystery" is a direct descendent of Hancock's "Maiden Voyage", with its hypnotic repeated rhythms and modal harmony. Indeed, Pilo's treatment of John Coltrane's "Impressions" sounds like it could've come straight off Hancock's classic early 70's album "Thrust", with his awesome rhythm section of Mike Clark and Paul Jackson.

There are other influences at work here as well. "Autumn Leaves" and "All Blues" get serious salsa treatments, though this doesn't sound like it's from New York or Puerto Rico. No muted Ampeg baby bass sound or timbale solo. Just three (fairly) young white dudes from LA, playing their hearts out, and it works great.

The real glue here is Pilo himself. The drums are definitely hot in the mix, but not more than they should be. Listening to Craig Pilo play drums is like drinking an ice-cold glass of water on a hot summer day; perfectly clear, refreshing, and it hits that sweet spot. When he's grooving it's an inch wide and a mile deep, super strong and authoritative, but fluid and responsive to what's going on around him. Then there are the drum solos. For many folks, drum solos are an acquired (or not acquired!) taste. I believe this is because these folks just don't hear the musical logic. In some cases this is because many otherwise fine drummers fall prey to the "urge to splurge" when they solo; simply stringing together all the amazing licks they know and hoping for the best. I myself have always been impressed by drummers who can, with no harmony and a very limited melodic palette, construct a solo that truly tells a tale, in a narrative sense, just as compelling as if they had those additional elements at their fingertips. This is the way Craig solos. He takes you on some wild rides (the solo on "Red Clay" gives new meaning to the word Hemiola), but no matter how crazy it gets, you always know just where you are, time-wise, and he's articulate as can be. You get to hear all of this on "Just Play", and that's what makes it a drummer's CD, in the best sense.

The recorded sound is clean and clear on this CD. Very transparent and present sonically, especially the drum kit. The respective tones of the various bass players are a pleasure to listen to, with most having that clear, ringing `brand new set of strings' sound. It's always nice to be able to hear the actual notes the bass player is playing; on many CD's, especially on those independently produced, the bass is often more felt than heard. I hate that with a vengeance. There is just one brief moment on Bart Samolis' masterfully melodic bass solo on "Early Cynical Mystery" where he descends to his low register, and his notes inexplicably get lost in the mix.

But this is just being picky. Here's the other reason "Just Play" is the perfect title for this CD; these cats just went for it and played for keeps, not worrying about what any of us might think, and it sounds like they had a blast doing it. It's pretty darn fun to listen to as well.

This is a CD extra, which includes two videos of Pilo, Czach and bassist David Enos playing two tunes from the album in the studio. They are not the performances from the album however, so they are essentially bonus tracks. It adds another dimension to a very strong first CD from this great drummer.

Craig Pilo's "Just Play" is a pleasure to listen to, both as an attentive exercise in modern jazz, and as a simply great jazz album to have on while going about your day. It's a welcome addition to any collection and I definitely recommend it to friends. Any drummer should consider this a worthy study as well.

JUST PLAY, the new album by drummer Craig Pilo, has a heavy focus on his percussion arrangements and abilities. Having been on tours with Frankie Vallie and Edgar Winter gives his music a truly live edge. The flavorings of Jazz range from lounge to fusion, creating sublime imagrey as instrument parts take their places in individual tracks. I was easily put in mine of Spyro Gyra and instrumental works by the Japanese outfit Seat Belts that was fronted by Yoko Kanno in the late 1990s. Craig's level of professionalism and dedication to his craft is clearly evident in the recording and production. If you're looking for music to relax to, as in having a romantic candle light dinner, or sitting by a warm fire on a quiet evening, JUST PLAY is the perfect soundtrack.

Just Play is fantastic. I listen to it while walking around the city, so I got a copy for my dad. He is not in any way a jazz head (he likes Michael Bublé, Sinatra, and big band music) but he loved it! He plays it in his car constantly. And, my better half, who is a professional jazz musician (pianist/ organist) is very impressed with this album- so there you go- you can hum along and also, if you hear it, really appreciate the skill and complexity behind the music.