Florian Weber, Donny McCaslin & Dan Weiss
Release Date: 22 January 2016
Label: Enja
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 063757961529
Genres: Jazz Contemporary
Description
On 'Criss Cross', pianist Florian Weber debuts his bassless trio. Joining him in this homage to two of his major piano influences are two formidable musicians and leaders, Donny McCaslin on tenor saxophone and Dan Weiss on drums.
"What always struck me about this instrumentation," Weber says, "is the speed with which elements like harmony or form can be changed as opposed to when you're playing with a bass. The Lovano-Frisell-Motian trio had a huge influence on me during college, opened my ear and imagination. But there is also a tradition of this lineup, for instance Benny Goodman and his trio where Teddy Wilson had so much freedom to use all registers of the keyboard."
Evans and Monk might be seen as aesthetically worlds apart, but Weber ties them together. "Monk created these brilliant tunes, which I transcribed note for note in preparation for this record. And without Bill, jazz wouldn't be what it is today." Much like 'Biosphere' (ENJ95862), with its unexpected covers of Coldplay, Jamiroquai and Eric Clapton, Evans and Monk includes a bracing treatment of "Judas" by pop sensation Lady Gaga.
In its brisk, polyrhythmic density, its uncluttered openness, its stark timbral nuances that inspire soloing on the most adventurous level, it's the best sort of gesture toward two greats of the jazz canon. The material is everyone's to explore and reinvent. But Weber, McCaslin and Weiss find a vibrant connection that only they can, one that expands the possibilities of the music.
Tracklisting
Eva Klesse Quartet
Or Bareket
Johannes Enders
ADHD
Lux Quartet
Franco Ambrosetti
Aki Takase & Daniel Erdmann
Rebecca Trescher
Sultan Stevenson
John Patitucci
Tommy Whittle & Alan Barnes
Xhosa Cole
John Clayton & Mulgrew Miller
George Cables
Sylvaine Helary & Orchestre Incandescent
The Exu
