The urgent angularity of Argentine Emilio Teubal’s Futuro and the lyrical sweep of Eric Reed’s Black, Brown, and Blue offer highly divergent and equally satisfying takes on jazz piano.
Emilio Teubal
Futuro (Note Yet Records)
A review
Argentina-born, Brooklyn-based pianist Emilio Teubal offers a wide-ranging collection of original compositions (and one cover), most composed in the early days of the pandemic lockdown in 2020, that capture the anxiety and uncertainty of those days, deepened by the loss of his father in 2021. The Emilio Teubal Post-Trio, with bassist Pablo Lanouguere and drummer Chris Michael, were joined by guest artists drummer Brian Adler (replacing Chris Michael, who had a strong case of long COVID), vibraphonist Chris Dingman, guitarist Fede Diaz, and clarinetist Sam Sadigursky. Teubal’s robust compositions and taut piano lead the exploratory investigation of troubled times. A strong rhythmic foundation, enlivened by the folk rhythms of Argentina, and savvy instrumental textures bring Teubal’s coherent compositions to life. He develops his ideas organically, never forcing them. There’s a taut, bold quality that is nicely offset by the rhythmic flow. The trio could just as well be named after the track “Los Que Fluyen” (“Those Who Flow”), because every track flows with the ease of a river. Highlights include “Tokyo-Trenque,” with its off-kilter rhythms and a lost, pained piano solo that’s a bit mad, paying tribute to a friend who recently passed away. “Los Que Fluyen” offers a delightfully inebriated clarinet solo over layered rhythms. “Remolinos (Tolerance)” pays homage to one of Teubal’s favorite rock bands, King Crimson (though I hear echoes of the Police) and features Dingman. The syncopated, vibes-graced cover of the Beatles’ “Blackbird” offers one of the better jazz takes on the Fab Four’s material that I’ve heard, and it leads into the final track, “Los Últimos Serán Primeros,” a tribute to Teubal’s father that seems to foresee the possibility of a livable future. Futuro delivers a mature, rich, and satisfying reflection of troubled times and the possibility of outliving them.
Eric Reed
Black, Brown, and Blue (Smoke Session Records)
A review
Pianist Eric Reed is at the center of one of my top-10 musical experiences. It was 1994, if memory serves, at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Appearing as a member of the Wynton Marsalis Septet, Reed launched into a long solo introduction to a movement in Marsalis’s In This House, On This Morning suite. Reed’s prodigious celebration of gospel music called the Spirit to descend and touch the audience, who were crying, laughing, clapping, jumping, and hollering in affirmation all at once—taken out of ourselves communally. Reed carries a deep understanding of and connection to Black musical traditions in this country, and on Black, Brown, and Blue, he sets out to celebrate Black composers with his new trio, featuring bassist Luca Alemanno and drummer Reggie Quinerly. There’s twilight in his touch, and layers of Black musical history in his extrapolations that mark him as the love child of Bill Evans and Mary Lou Williams. Featured composers include Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, McCoy Tyner, Wayne Shorter, Benny Golson, Horace Silver, Buddy Collette, and Buster Williams, along with pop/R&B songwriters Stevie Wonder (whose “Pastime Paradise” features vocalist David Daughtry) and Bill Withers (whose “Lean on Me” features vocalist Calvin B. Rhone). Each member of the trio also contributes a composition. Reed delivers nimble and expressive interpretations of them all. Highlights include the title track opener, a solo piano performance that alerts you to the presence of a master musician; the harmonic subtleties on Ellington’s “I Got It Bad (and That Ain’t Good);” the short, searching excursions on Silver’s “Peace;” the exhortational spirit on Tyner’s “Search for Peace;” and the long, lyrical reflection on Williams’ “Christina.” Reed’s take on Monk’s “Ugly Beauty,” which captures Monk’s essence and impishness in an arrangement that is entirely Reed, offers a master class in jazz interpretation.
Check out the limited-edition T-shirts and
fridge magnets at the Musically Speaking store.
Your support is much appreciated.
© 2023 Mel Minter
Mel!
Your writing is exquisite! So wonderful to read your emails.
All is well here including that Dame across the street.
Al and I are still gong out for jazz, mostly at Jazz@Lincoln Center.And the local clubs, like Smalls, around the corner.My friend Ryo Sasaki plays there on the weekends and heads a jam session which is ton’s of fun. The
young musicians get a chance to play there, very important of all us .
Please let Melissa know that we’re thinking of you both..
Always great to hear from you, and so glad you are going out to hear live music. I would love to do that with you two someday. I imagine I’ll get to NYC at some point to see all you maniacs. Love back at you and Al. And tell Kitty we love her still. I’ll tell her if she answers her phone.