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artist: pat thomas
title: nur (solo piano 1999)
date: 2001
label: Emanem
genre: Jazz
rls. date: Mar/2004
tracks: 04
bitrate: VBRkbps
size: 72,9 MB
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On New Jazz Jungle: Remembering, his previous solo album, Pat
Thomas only played electronics. Therefore, Nur makes the
perfect companion if one wants to get a complete picture of the
man's art. This solo piano concert was recorded on December 10,
1999, in Cheltenham, England. Thomas performed four unscripted
improvisations, each one shorter than the previous, the first
one a glorious 26 minutes while the fourth lasted only eight.
"Nur" is a striking and wonderful piece. Avoiding all free jazz
clichΘs, the piece sounds like a contemporary piano work. Parts
of it could have been written by Charles Ives! Thomas' approach
is surprisingly tonal here, the piece resting on dynamics,
carefully placed chords, and a serene mood. The first minutes
share strong similarities with the music of Ernesto
Diaz-Infante. On "Mubarak," the pianist reverts to more
traditional free jazz playing. Relying on speed and groove,
this one mainly evokes Cecil Taylor, but also Keith Tippett
(Thomas spends the last four minutes on the instrument's lower
octave, a technique Tippett uses sometimes -- see Friday the
13th). "Variation on Two Themes" comes back to more tonal
serenity, while "The Analogy" pays tribute to Thelonious Monk,
even though the pianist's style here is more Taylor-esque. Nur:
Solo Piano 1999 offers a different look at free improvisation
on the piano. Thomas' alloy of tonality and contemporary
classical melodrama is more listener-friendly than what one
might expect, while retaining the vital immediacy of free
playing. Recommended.
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01-nur [26:17]
02-mubarak [18:07]
03-variation on two themes [11:40]
04-the analogy [08:32]
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64:36 min
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