Martial Solal - Martial Solal at Newport 63 - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Live in Ottobrunn is nothing less than the shining last example of the outstanding importance of Martial Solal. And for the core of jazz that is reflected in his style In a miraculous way, the sum of the many twists and turns makes sense to him in retrospect. For the moment, for the respective piece and in the end for the whole album. A legacy.

Surprises, saxophonist Dave Liebman said when asked about playing with the master pianist Martial Solal. Their second Sunnyside album of duets finds them before a knowledgeable and appreciative audience at Studio 104 de Radio France, a center of uncompromising music in the City of Light. InchThe surprises are endless,Inch Liebman told me. InchMartial doesn't want it to be perfect. He's twenty years older than I am, and, to borrow a term from a newer generation, he wants the music to be 'killer.' When he plays, it is definitely killer.Inch There is an exhilarating range of music in this second Solal-Liebman album, which follows their Masters In Bordeaux, (ssc 1489). Whenever their next encounter may be, let us hope that someone with recording equipment is invited. The world needs more of the infectious spirit that these masters found together in Paris.

2017 . Jazz is supposed to be spontaneous and unpredictable. When you play with Martial this couldn't be more true. He never repeats himself; his harmonic choices range from Tatum to McCoy to Schoenberg; he will bend the form of a composition in the moment and as anyone who is familiar with Martial's piano playing knows, his technique is flawless (approaching 90 years old as I write in May 2017!) // The several times we have played together in the past year plus have been quite significant for me. While the repertoire played represents the standard jazz song book (chosen at the gig itself), to interact with arguably the most famous European jazz artist of all time playing standards is not something one does every day. At the same time the challenge for me is to adjust and react to the Maestro's ideas at a level that I have rarely had to deal with, particularly in the bebop idiom.