Fugue State
Blue Chip BC 4005-2, W/ Hal Galper, Pno., Jeff Johnson, Bs., Steve Ellington, Drm.
February 8, 1997
1. The End Of A Love Affair2. If You Are But A Dream
3. It's Magic
4. Fascinatin' Rhythm
5. Small Feats
6. Cottontail
Length: 47:04 minutes
"Hal Galper was long active as a sideman - for Chet Baker, Cannonball
Adderley, John Scofield, and above all, for almost ten years, Phil Woods -
while also leading his own groups. He recorded a memorable album in 1992
with Wayne Dockery (b) and Steve Ellington (d). Ellington is still with
him, but Dockery, who moved to France, has been replaced by Jeff Johnson.
"Fugue State" was recorded live at the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild in Pittsburgh. "With this trio the roles of each instrument change from moment to moment. It's as if we're playing a fugue, each musician interweaving its sound with the others," says Galper in the CD booklet."The communication is total, with each call resulting in an immediate response, making it obvious the trio has been together a long time. Galper's powerful playing blends well with the softer accompaniment of his partners. This is a fine example of a jazz piano trio playing standards. He was modest enough not to call this album "The Art of the Trio" but it would have been an accurate title."
Le Jazz
http://lejazz.simplenet.com
Hal Galper has consistently sustained persistent drive to explore, to improve, and to nurture fresh ideas in his playing. He brings to his trio a highlighted trail of alliances with a number of the historical leaders in jazz- Chet Baker, Stan Getz, Cannonball Adderly, and Phil Woods, to cite a few.
Much deserving of greater recognition, his first-rate pianistics is aglow with his trio of bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer Steve Ellington, who fit so snugly with Galper on conceptual beelines and close-order interactivity. His trio is surely not an ad hoc assemblage but a veritable working trio, evidenced markedly by its exceptional intuitiveness.
"Our aim is to reach a state where three musicians breath as one, play freely within the structures, keep the music accessible to the listener while preserving our committment to a swinging groove," asserts Galper. Sounding like no other trio, its virtues are piquantly expressed on its six tunes. Galpers touted musicianship and imagination lead the trios bondedness and prevailing swing feel.
Herb Wong
May 98 IAJE Journal
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Galper@worldnet.att.net