Customer Reviews

Tethered Moon

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A rather special piano trio record. Mr Kikuchi uses space, repetition and the light and shade of voicings in much the same way as Ahmad Jamal did in his early period where silence of the piano was filled with the beauty of the rich acoustic and forward bass of Israel Crosby. In this CD the bass sound of Mr Gary Peacock is as, if not more, beautiful, rich and intriguing as was that of Mr Israel Crosby. Master of touch and colour in drumming Mr Paul Motian fills out the trio sound. One classic, MISTERIOSO by Thelonious Monk, is one of the highlights of this disc. Another is the ruminative, lovely title piece TETHERED MOON. If you appreciate the touch of Mr Bill Evans, the dynamics of Mr Jamal, or the drama of Mr Steve Kuhn, then you'll love the music of Mr Kikuchi played on this disc.

Bassist Peacock and drummer Motian played with Keith Jarrett on his Live at the Deer's Head Inn CD. On The Tethered Moon, Masabumi Kikuchi is the pianist in a trio setting of some Kurt Weill tunes. This is not smooth, cocktail-jazz playing; rather, it is muscular and forceful, with the power and urgency of the musical interpretation underlined by close miking and aggressive dynamics. Believe it or not, the vocal grunts on this album (Kikuchi's, I presume) are more prominent, and more grotesque, than on Jarrett's CDs--go figure. Still, this is an energetic and enjoyable recording that should please most jazz lovers.