This review appears in the August 2011 issue of The New York City Jazz Record.
—
Aaron Goldberg and Guillermo Klein
Bienestan (Sunnyside)
By David R. Adler
As pianists, Aaron Goldberg and Guillermo Klein couldn’t be less alike. Goldberg is a leading virtuoso soloist of our day. Klein’s chops are far more modest, and his main artistic canvas is his extraordinary little big band Los Guachos. On Bienestan, these Sunnyside labelmates generate sparks as co-leaders, offering the best of both worlds: Klein’s compositional and arranging smarts, Goldberg’s spellbinding execution. Klein plays Fender Rhodes while Goldberg sticks to piano (a textural combination heard previously on Klein’s 2010 release Domador de Huellas). Bassist Matt Penman and drummer Eric Harland provide inspired backup, while saxophonists Miguel Zenón and Chris Cheek beef up the ensemble on a number of tracks.
Rhythmic ingenuity is a big part of Klein’s aesthetic, and his arrangements of Charlie Parker’s “Moose the Mooche” and “Blues for Alice” on Bienestan are among the most staggering examples to date. Speeding up and slowing down according to some confounding logic, the beat undulates in perfectly natural sync thanks to the players’ sheer skill. It’s not merely bebop in an odd meter, but something far more intricate. The two Rhodes-piano duo pieces, “Implacable” and “Airport Fugue,” are tours de force of a more intimate type, with labyrinthine cross-rhythms that seem to filter Bach and Terry Riley through some alien computerized prism.
Bienestan also includes the frequently played standards “All the Things You Are” and “Manhã de Carnaval,” but as you can count on with Klein, something else is afoot. Both these tunes appear in two versions, with intriguing reharmonization and subtle contrasts in ensemble makeup. They’re as integral to the mood and design of the album as the Klein originals.
Tucked away amid these thematic elements are a number of compelling standalone originals by Klein. Harland seizes hold of “Human Feel” for a fine drum feature, while Cheek shines on soprano during “Yellow Roses” and Penman lays the melodic foundation for “Impresion de Bienestar.” As much as it revolves around its two principals, Bienestan is very much a full-band record.
Comments are closed.