Frank Kimbrough----Air

[alocispepraluger102]

It goes without saying that the name Frank Kimbrough defines taste, musicianship, and musical integrity.

Air, pianist Frank Kimbrough's brand new release on Palmetto, is difficult to think of as a recording.

Air is a series of 9 extemporaneous interpretations of compositions that fascinate Frank which were recorded to try out some new microphones at Palmetto's studios..

4 of the pieces are fascinating, sensitive, interpretations of works by Duke(WigWise, from Money Jungle), Monk(Jackie-ing and Coming On The Hudson), and Paul Motian (It Should've Have Happened A Long Time Ago)..

It Should Have Happened.., Air, Three Chords, and Jackie-ing, if they dont bring a tear to your eye, will certainly moisten it.

Quickening, a Kimbrough favorite, and Ca'lina, on the other hand, heard early in the morning, will leave you in a carefree joyous mood the whole day.

Coming On The Hudson has so many layers one could study it for hours.

Every note fits and is essential. There are no needless piano gymnastics or runs.

Kimbrough dedicates this recording to his recently departed close friends and mentors, Shirley Horn and Andrew Hill, and to the very much alive Paul Bley.

Fans of Paul Bley and Bill Evans, among many many others, will consider Air by Frank Kimbrough essential listening.

Edited January 6, 2008 by alocispepraluger102

[Aggie87]

Thanks for the heads up. This one's going on my to-get list.

[robviti]

another thanks for the heads up. i went to frank's website for additional info and found out that he is performing at my local public radio station later this month. i just called the station and got a ticket for the studio peformance!

[ghost of miles]

Good marks for Frank's latest from Nate Chinen in the NY Times:

  Quote

Frank Kimbrough has a great deal of experience playing solo piano; in the liner notes to his latest release he recalls a five-year stretch early in his career when the format sustained him. Yet somehow “Air” is his first solo album. Fittingly, rewardingly, it’s a mature and personal reflection.

Mr. Kimbrough divides his attentions here between his own tuneful work and a handful of semi-standards by Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington and Paul Motian. (That list is instructive, as is the album’s dedication to the pianists Andrew Hill and Shirley Horn.) He approaches each theme with generosity and composure; he’s more interested in lurking around a melody than in figure-skating over a harmony. Despite his percussive touch, he creates a sense of flow by letting chords chime, overlap and decay.

The title track, obviously named after the most ethereal of elements, captures this feeling best. Mr. Kimbrough is ultimately more engaging, though, on material with some root-level relationship to the blues. He gets frisky on just a couple of originals, the stridelike “Ca’lina” and a modal waltz called “The Spins,” and imbues the rest of the album with a quietly rhapsodic tone. His readings of Monk’s “Coming On the Hudson” and “Jackie-ing,” both resplendent in tensions, hint at an elusive mastery.

The album’s chief distraction, for some listeners, will be Mr. Kimbrough’s flashes of deference to Mr. Hill, Paul Bley and even Keith Jarrett, who would surely hear some of himself in this version of an older original called “Quickening.” But these moments unfold with an appealing spirit of candor. Apparently Mr. Kimbrough would be the first to admit he didn’t conjure his style, so to speak, out of thin air.

NATE CHINEN

[fkimbrough]

Hi folks, and many thanks for the positive comments - I really appreciate it. Anyone who wishes to purchase this album should be aware that CDs are available exclusively from the Palmetto website. Hi-res mp3s (along with a couple of bonus tracks) are also available there. It's also available at itunes. For the present time at least, it's not available in record stores, or through other "normal" distribution channels. If that changes, I'll post an update here.......I just want to make sure that those who want to get it can do so without going to a lot of trouble. Thanks again, and hope you'll enjoy the music.......my best, FK

[randyhersom]

Do you know if Palmetto has stopped putting new releases on eMusic, or are they just slow in coming? I'm looking forward to hearing Air.

[fkimbrough]

Hi Randy - I'm not sure when it'll be up at emusic - that's something the label deals with. The best I can tell you right now is to keep checking back with emusic and see if it's there. In the meantime, I'll see what I can find out, and post any info here. Thanks very much for your interest! my best, FK