For L.A. pianist/composer Carney's second CD, it's more of the same modern jazz which he so adeptly displayed on his debut Fables from the Aqueduct. Tracks alternate between piano-led, romantic, impressionistic, ECM-like pieces and the highly composed and arranged group works that border on stunning. These two aspects let Carney show his mettle as a player and as a leader. Both sides are attractive, marking him as one of the more original younger musicians emerging in the '90s. Pieces like "Swamp Rookie," "Quinn Martin" and ...
Read More
For L.A. pianist/composer Carney's second CD, it's more of the same modern jazz which he so adeptly displayed on his debut Fables from the Aqueduct. Tracks alternate between piano-led, romantic, impressionistic, ECM-like pieces and the highly composed and arranged group works that border on stunning. These two aspects let Carney show his mettle as a player and as a leader. Both sides are attractive, marking him as one of the more original younger musicians emerging in the '90s. Pieces like "Swamp Rookie," "Quinn Martin" and "Photo Op" have a New Orleans shuffle feel, while "Rookie," "Tipperary Hill" and "Breaking the Beckets" incorporate Irish jig elements in their complex melodic statements. The twisting, whirling dervish frantic melody of "Rookie," settling into the shuffle for improvisation and buliding and swelling back to the theme, as well as the lugubrious, bass clarinet-fired "Quinn" and the deep, heavy "Beckets," highlight one of the more enjoyable programs of contemporary jazz this writer has heard in many a year. Carney's crew is also quite talented. Trumpeter Ralph Alessi, saxophonists Peter Epstein, Chuck Manning, Scott Mayo and Bob Sheppard (especially on bass clarinet,) bassist Darek Oleszkiewicz, and drummer Dan Morris read and play the music extraordinarily well. There is no excess or filler. Carney himself is light when he wants, forceful when he has to be, subtle and bluesy when he chooses. He himself, in this democratic ensemble, is not as distinctive as the witty, meaty, mighty music he is creating and sharing. Quite a solid date, as hopes rise anticipating the third release from one of the brightest lights on the new jazz scene. ~ Michael G. Nastos, Rovi
Read Less
Add this copy of Offset Rhapsody to cart. $9.00, new condition, Sold by Peninsula FOL rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Palos Verdes Estates, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1997 by Jacaranda Records3.
