I have been listening to the album "Futurestride" by Emmet Cohen which has been strongly featured in J-Z. The album's title is a bit confusing because it really refers to the title of one of the tracks on the record as opposed to any kind of musical statement. The core trio is augmented by Melissa Aldana on tenor and the impressive Marquis Hill on trumpet. Where the horns appear, the music is squarely in the Wynton camp. Aldana is a new name to me and is surprisingly good.
I have to admit that I have a huge amount of admiration for stride pianists who I feel took piano playing to such a high level up until the 1920s that finding an alternative to this style represents one of the first, great challenges for jazz. In fact, it is an element that has never really gone away and something that has manifested itself in the work of players as diverse as Jaki Byard, Keith Jarrett and Jason Moran. For my money, Moran's flirtation with earlier piano styles makes his approach to the instrument amongst the most interesting of our time. Cohen is early in his career and there is a sense that this first album for a major label is very much one that is searching for an identity. A number of the tracks feature material that is 100 years old and the title track references piano playing from that era although the sudden changes in time signature hint more towards Morna's playing.
All in all, it is a well recorded and polished recording. I think that the likes of Bluesnik and SA will be sceptical for different reasons but it is something that might intrigue Elmo. I felt that the music is pretty conservative which is in keeping with Mack Avenue's policy. I like Cohen's playing which seems to occupy the territory between stride and Kenny Barron. He seems like a polite version of Marcus Roberts. The question for me is that the 21st century is adept at producing technically brilliant and informed. Labels like Mack Avenue seem very content to sign up young faces to shore up the music and make it sound relevant. If you are sceptical of Wynton, I think some people posting on this board will find it a challenge to take this music seriously. The music is difficult to fault. You just wonder whether Cohen will continue to dabble in stride piano or whether it is the side of his playing that manifest itself in the quintet tracks that will dominate. I have a feeling that it will be the latter.
I have to admit that I have a huge amount of admiration for stride pianists who I feel took piano playing to such a high level up until the 1920s that finding an alternative to this style represents one of the first, great challenges for jazz. In fact, it is an element that has never really gone away and something that has manifested itself in the work of players as diverse as Jaki Byard, Keith Jarrett and Jason Moran. For my money, Moran's flirtation with earlier piano styles makes his approach to the instrument amongst the most interesting of our time. Cohen is early in his career and there is a sense that this first album for a major label is very much one that is searching for an identity. A number of the tracks feature material that is 100 years old and the title track references piano playing from that era although the sudden changes in time signature hint more towards Morna's playing.
All in all, it is a well recorded and polished recording. I think that the likes of Bluesnik and SA will be sceptical for different reasons but it is something that might intrigue Elmo. I felt that the music is pretty conservative which is in keeping with Mack Avenue's policy. I like Cohen's playing which seems to occupy the territory between stride and Kenny Barron. He seems like a polite version of Marcus Roberts. The question for me is that the 21st century is adept at producing technically brilliant and informed. Labels like Mack Avenue seem very content to sign up young faces to shore up the music and make it sound relevant. If you are sceptical of Wynton, I think some people posting on this board will find it a challenge to take this music seriously. The music is difficult to fault. You just wonder whether Cohen will continue to dabble in stride piano or whether it is the side of his playing that manifest itself in the quintet tracks that will dominate. I have a feeling that it will be the latter.
A young Charles Lloyd would replace Yusef a year on in that line-up.
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