Release : Loren Stillman - Winter Fruits
Artist : Loren Stillman
Album : Winter Fruits
Genre : Jazz
Source : CDDA
Label : Pirouet Records
URL :
Date : 11-06-2009
Encoder : LAME 3.97 / -V2 --vbr-new
Quality : 178kbps 44100 kHz Joint Stereo
Tracks : 8
Time : 51:06 min
Size : 65.90 MB
1 Muted Dreams 4:53
2 Skin 8:28
3 Man Of Mystery 6:15
4 With You 9:11
5 Like A Magic Kiss 8:42
6 A Song To Be Played 5:48
7 Winter Fruits 4:46
8 Puffy 3:03
Loren Stillman's Winter Fruits is an impressive follow-up to the saxophonist's
stellar Blind Date (Pirouet Records, 2007). The increasingly visible altoist has
been spotted on a number of recordings including Paul Motian's On Broadway, Vol.
5, (Winter & Winter (2009), yet found time to refine his own music. Through a
couple of lineup changes with new members Ted Poor (drums) and Nate Radley
(guitar) and the return of Gary Versace (now on organ), Stillman's release
maintains a stylized and highly substantive persona.
Dispelling any notions of typical jazz organ ensembles, Stillman's organ-centric
quartet (also known as the collective called Bad Touch) performs compositions
that are denoted by an aesthetic of mood, darker hues, and lush contours that
are uniquely atmospheric. "Muted Dreams'" lovely song casts the die with
elongated lines as the momentum gently rises and falls, like waves on a
shoreline.
The way the group interacts with one another is sublime; each voice
counteracting as the musicians play an intense game of "cat and mouse" on the
stealthy antics of "Skin." The instruments are like varying brushes on
canvasùRadley's inquisitive string work, Versace's cathedral-like keys, Poor's
powerful or gossamer percussion, and Stillman's exquisitely lush
voicingùpainting every composition in layered detail. From the isolated solos in
"Song To Be Played" to the bombastic title where the organ pedal reverberates
against a pulsating beat; reaching a sweltering climax. The recording's finale,
"Puffy," is another jewelùa tone poem of breathtaking beauty.
When Winter Fruits is juxtaposed against Blind Date, the contrast is distinct.
It is totally different yet retains Stillman's creative core. The art of
reinvention.
Track listing: Muted Dreams; Skin; Man of Mystery; With You; Like a Magic Kiss;
A Song to Be Played; Winter Fruits; Puffy.
Personnel: Loren Stillman: alto saxophone; Nate Radley: guitar; Gary Versace:
organ; Ted Poor drums.