01. HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN. 5:31
02. TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT. 6:52
03. A SIMPLER TIME. 5:53
04. NOT SO FAST. 6:21
05. OVER EASY. 5.49
06. PRIVATE MOMENT. 7.13
07. FUGU. 6.47
08. SMALL PLEASURES. 5:35
09. SOMEWHERE/BERIMBAU 5:46
tracks 1,2,3,7,& 9 |
tracks 4,5,6 & 8 |
LESLIE PINTCHIK piano
SCOTT HARDY bass
MARK DODGE drums
SATOSHI TAKEISHI percussion |
LESLIE PINTCHIK piano
SCOTT HARDY bass
MARK DODGE drums
STEVE WILSON alto and soprano sax |
When one compares the number of lady instrumental
jazzers to the blokes, the girls are a small
percentage. Fortunately Leslie Pintchik is
a good ambassador for the feminine section.
This CD is what used to be often described
somewhat paradoxically as "Classical
Jazz" and it conjures a comparable ensemble
with the Baroque Trio Sonata Ensemble, or
the delicacy of an early String Quartet.
Could Ms Pintchik’s academic culture – Master’s
Degree in English Literature from Columbia,
classical piano foundation starting, "a
little later than most" and hence to
Jazz have something to do with the style?
She does not have a hard-driving technique
and I suspect this is governed by having small
hands. (Pint-sized?). But the hands are extremely
flexible and there are no wasted notes or
irrelevant doublings for a showy display.
Above all she communicates to her listener
with disturbing intimacy.
Track one, "Happy days are here Again"
transforms this originally jolly, uncomplicated
idea set to an equally straightforward tune
into a reminiscence tinged with chromatic
sadness, to express a whole spectrum of dreams
and hopes which have lurked under the surface
of the song, - emotions which has been awaiting
a Pintchik to release them.
Scott Hardy’s bass playing is always a good
inventive sound sitting on splendid intonation.
One of the features of the Disk is that the
bass supports and solos without grunts and
keeps a lyrical line throughout. The drums
and percussion are equally skilled. They produce
an ongoing rhythmic drive with a varied choice
of timbres without overwhelming the texture.
The balance is excellent and Mark Dodge plays
drums with a nice neat discretion whilst the
atmospheric percussion of Satoshi Takeishi
is tastefully elegant.
Track 2. "Too Close for Comfort"
begins with melody played a microsecond away
from the beat giving it a sticky finger touch.
There is no thumping and bashing which is
often the misfortune of the Middle 8 but some
neat, clean, rhythmic chords. In the improvisation
a minimalist Horace Silver spooks the background
and there is a splendid bass solo followed
by some driving percussion work.
Ms Pintchik’s own compositions, "A simpler
Time", "Not so Fast", "Over
Easy", "Private Moment" and
"Small Pleasures" tell their own
story in their titles and carry an aura of
austere modesty.
The solos supplied by Steve Wilson, alto and
soprano sax on tracks 4,5,6,& 8 are a
bit predictable but his good tuning and a
relatively restrained style blends well with
the rest of the band.
Track 9, the last on the disk, is a fusion
job putting together Bernstein’s "Somewhere"
and Baden Powell’s "Berimbau." There
is an echo of "Happy days" in the
piano rounding off the disk with the theme
from Track 1 in the Impressionist style.
The thing I fear for this CD is that it will
be used as background for smart dining as
it can easily fall victim to its own unobtrusive
style and restraint.
There is a stern centre of intellect in this
music, but above all it is sensual and it
certainly reaches all the parts.
Adrienne Fox
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CD Reviews
Ambient records cd-006.
