Customer Reviews

TEN

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

 

 

Overview:
Ten celebrates 10 years of Jason's bandwagon band with a release of new songs and arrangements. While previous bandwagon CDs tended to be driven by a concept, this CD is just straight forward playing by the trio. Bandwagon is made of up Jason Moran on piano, Nasheet Waits on drums, and Tarus Mateen on bass. In my opinion Jason is the top jazz pianist playing today. Of course there are many other pianists equally deserving this title, but for my taste Jason is the best. His technical ability is phenomenal. He can solo equally well with both hands, and can solo with both hands at the same time. He has his own distinct style and personality which you can hear not only in his compositions, but also, in his arrangements of standards. His style is modern sounding, primarily post bop, but with a touch of free jazz, and avante garde. From both his playing style and compositions you can tell he is a deep thinker.

This is my favorite Jason Moran CD to date. The CD features 6 songs written by Moran, 1 co-written by Moran and Andrew Hill, 1 by bassist Mateen, 1 by Thelonious Monk, 1 by Leonard Bernstein, 1 by Jaki Byard (a former teacher of Moran), and 2 versions of a song written by Conlon Nancarrow. The CD has a good mix of up tempo songs, and ballads. The only area I see for improvement would be to write some bigger parts for drummer Nasheet Waits. He plays great throughout the CD, but doesn't really get a chance to show off his skills. Typically you see more opportunities for the drummer to show off their stuff in a piano/bass/drums format. Overall a great CD and a must have for fans of the piano/bass/drums format, pianists, and Jason Moran fans.

Song Highlights:

Gangsterism over 10 years - This song has a raucous Wild West swinging feel to it. It is more or less the bandwagon theme song. It features some wild soloing from Moran. During one flurry he probably hits every key on the keyboard.

To Bob Vatel Of Paris - This Jaki Byard song opens with a solo statement by Moran. The song has a very happy, "walk in the park", early 50's bebop sort of mood to it. After Moran's intro the bass and drums come in with a nice walking bass line.

Crepuscule with Nellie - In this Thelonious Monk tune, Jason Moran injects his own personality while still staying true to the original Monk tune. Mateen has a great bass solo in the middle of the tune, where the song almost turns into a blues vamp for a few bars. The song starts of very true to the original, then veers off for a little bit, and comes back to the original with a nice recap statement at the end.

Blue Blocks - This song starts of with a Sunday morning sort of feel, and picks up pace as it goes along. At one point there is a section with a barrage of cascading chords that is just wonderful. The mood again is up-tempo and upbeat. This is another great new composition from Moran.

Voted the best Jazz album of 2010 by the Village Voice Critics Poll, and certainly deserved it. Virtuoso playing with a heck of a lot of soul. This is where jazz is today.

Ten is moran at his best. his style of playing finds space in unexpected places. foremost on compositions by thelonious monk. on Ten, moran describes his treatment of monk's Crepuscule with Nellie as tampering. monk's compositions command a scored approach, forcing musicians to interpret his work with the subtlety of say the best interpreters of a beethoven sonata, no matter how talented and original the sound of the artist, all of the notes scored are expected to be executed without deviation. moran more than tampers, he goes in like a surgeon or a focused bird of prey, a promethean eagle for particular viscera, slowly moving about parts, while leaving the body of monk recognizable as monk, but with a replaced organ or, to extend my metaphor, in removing the organ, his devouring becomes a form of borrowing, and when he's done with his improvisation, and flown away, the next musician to fly along has monk intact to contend with. i say Ten is moran at his best, but what takes place here is a group effort so neat seams do not show. call mateen on bass and waits on drums moran's wings.

moran's gangsterism pieces over a ten year span, inspired by the artist, jean-michael basquiat, are turning out to be variations on a theme of erato by andrew hill in the tradition of bach's Goldberg Variations. i suspect i'm not the only listener of moran's music to play his gangsterism pieces in tandem as they fly out the studios.

a single irritant, Feedback PT. 2, contains the deliberate overlay of feedback as tribute to the legendary jimi hendrix in concert. otherwise, a superb piano trio cd.

I'm a big Jason Moran fan and this latest CD doesn't disappoint in the least. His style and creativity are as strong as ever. This is a must for Jason Moran fans and a good introduction for those who aren't so familiar with him.

All four Down Beat writers gave this 4 stars and above..I try to decipher
the difference from his other cd's but it's tough (with never a horn player).
..........I remember asking him to sign my cd in Manhattan's Jazz Standard between sets..
.I had been drinking and was excited to meet him.... I regretfully asked him to sign my cd
while he was in the middle of his dinner....He stopped eating took time to sign the cd and
make numerous notes on the cd sleeve. He was very nice.......He was also very cordial during
the Rochester International Jazz Fest when I talked with him again........He's a class act!!

OK, Jason Moran is a piano virtuoso. If you still did not know, this is a reason to listen to this work. The problem comes when you are looking for something else.

This album is a jazz trio, but what about the other two? Well, overshadowed by the soloist. Although better that way, and I would be pleased if they would not try to make so much noise: the truth is that if one is attentive to the bass and the drums will soon be disappointed.

To top it off, the themes included in this album are dull and flat.

Think of it this way, Mr. Moran; when you listen to the albums of the earlier greats of the blue note catalogue, can you honestly say that they sound similar. Hell, no. Listen to Hancock's Maiden Voyage, then listen to his Inventions and Dimensions. Listen to Sonny Clark's Soul Struttin, then listen to Conception or Leapin' and Lopin.' Listen to Shorter's music and compare Juju with Nightdreams. Not to say that the music sounds like exact replicas. But people want to hear musicians stretching out. Especially jazz fans who are attracted to the music for that very reason, because they stretch out. Ten is different, definitely, but ask yourself does it do that. The two cents of a huge fan who wants to continue hearing your music.