|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 ...please check gigs for full schedule...
Newport Jazz Festival:
Freihofer's Jazz Festival:
New Haven CT April 4 2008
Philadelphia April 25 2008
AG Trio Tour of Australia
Worlds |
Turning Point
J Curve Records, 1999
 | |
-- Bob Blumenthal
"Turning Point: One of the best disks of 1999."
--The Voice of Puerto Rico
NewYork Times
Individualists at Play With Personality
"Why aren't more New York independent labels recording New York's young jazz musicians? J Curve, a new label from Cincinnati, has stepped into the breach. The young pianist Aaron Goldberg's first album is selfless in all the right ways: working within the structures of of current-sounding mainstream jazz, he hasn't made an album that sets out to demonstrate virtuosity, speed or heat, though all three are at his disposal.
Instead, as a careful arranger, he has given each track a distinct personality. A sideman in groups lead by Mark Turner, Greg Tardy and Joshua Redman, Mr. Goldberg knows how to work with the strengths of individual musicians, and he exploits a special connection with the tenor saxophonist Mr. Turner, whose solos calmly trickle outside tonality. Their duets within-the-quartet on this record are remarkable; in "Fantasy in D" and "Turning Point" they rise up out of the end of the tracks, suggesting a sense of play that can't be held back.
The saxophonist Mr. Redman and the singer Carla Cook appear in other tracks, and in "Jackson's Actions," over the vamp, the tabla player Karsh Kalé solos simultaneously with the drummer Eric Harland. Among Mr. Goldberg's compositions are amiable ballads, contemplative mood pieces for electric piano and fractious, sectional, stop-start races; he's setting the right challenges for himself.
All About Jazz.com -- Review by Jim Santella
original article found at AllAboutJazz.com
Pianist Aaron Goldberg, who turns twenty-five at the end of this month, is one of those people who can do it all. You know the type: dean's list, first-string baseball player, student body president, lady's man, fixes his own car, fluent in seven languages, and still knows the value of a dollar. Now, I don't know those particulars on Goldberg; just made it all up on the fly. But you know the type; successful at whatever he does.
The pianist's bio sheet reveals enough to enable one to see the pattern. A gifted pianist at an early age, Goldberg eventually studied with Jerry Bergonzi and later with Betty Carter. Although he graduated magna cum laude from Harvard with a degree in History and Science, Goldberg spent his leisure hours gigging around Boston's Berklee College with friends. There is more information available at http://www.jcurverecords.com. The web page also offers a photo, shopping information, and details on the pianist's debut album Turning Point. Tenor saxophonist Mark Turner is featured on six of the eight tracks. Five of the pieces on the album are Goldberg's compositions.
Goldberg's title track serves as a fine example of modern mainstream jazz, containing equal parts drama and creative surprise with a touch of swing. Saxophone, piano, bass, and drums work together with a strong sense of cohesion. The natural timbre and variety of percussive colors on "Jackson's Actions" makes the piece a fast burning, hold-your-attention, toe tapper. Joshua Redman presents "The Shadow of your Smile" in standard fashion, then takes turns with Goldberg in highly creative improvisation. Dizzy Gillespie's "Con Alma" is presented by the piano trio in a lively 5/4 meter; sort of an Afro-Cuban "Take Five" alongside the pianist's fast blues. Carla Cook's wordless vocals on "Fantasy in D" and "Mom's Tune" place her deep alto voice in unison with Turner's tenor saxophone as an additional instrument for the ensemble. The two even weave and trade as the piece reaches its close. Aaron Goldberg is a talented composer and pianist who knows what direction he wishes to take. Highly Recommended.
AaronGoldberg.com © 2006 All Rights Reserved
Site created by UmGraphics