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Origin Records 82476
HAL GALPER piano,, JEFF JOHNSON bass, JOHN BISHOP drums
1 MILESTONES 7:58
2 VALSE COOL 10:20
3 ZEN 6:51
4 FIGURINE 7:43
5 CHROMATIC FANTASY 5:42
6 NAIMA 8:12
7 MILES AHEAD 8:10
8 OTHER DAYS 9:32
Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
In the liner notes that he wrote for his 2006 session Furious Rubato, Hal Galper discusses the style of playing known as rubato and explains why it interests him so much. The veteran acoustic pianist has a lot to say on the subject of rubato (which, as the website Wikipedia points out, has been used by everyone from FrÈdÈric Chopin to Megadeth), but Galper (who turned 68 in 2006) really gets to the essence of this post-bop album when he speaks of musicianship that "moves the body in a swirling, circular kind of motion" instead of having a "toe-tapping" effect. Furious Rubato, to be sure, is not toe-tapping jazz; the performances of Galper's cohesive trio (which employs Jeff Johnson on upright bass and John Bishop on drums) are quite impressionistic. Furious Rubato does not contain free-form or radically avant-garde pianism of the Cecil Taylor/Marilyn Crispell variety, but it does favor an approach that Johnson correctly describes as "freedom with form"--and this album's use of impressionism keeps the intrigue factor high on material by Galper and Johnson as well as interpretations of John Coltrane's "Naima" and two Miles Davis standards: "Miles Ahead" and "Milestones" (the bop song Davis played with Charlie Parker in 1947, not the modal gem he unveiled in 1958). Furious Rubato never goes out of its way to be accessible; this is challenging music, without a doubt. But the rewards are high if one is not intimidated by the complex and the cerebral.
Bill Barton, Coda
The Harvard Dictionary of Music defines rubato as: "An elastic, flexible tempo involving slight accelerandos and ritordandos that alternate according to the requirements of musical expression." Pianist Hal Galper's liner notes elucidate quite eloquently his theories regarding rubato, parsing the basic pulse, "bending and shaping" the melody and harmony and ñ as he emphasizes ñ ""you have to swing whatever tempo you're playing either basic, subdivided or superimposed." The proof is in the pudding as the old clichÈ goes, and this CD swings in a complex circular fashion unlike anything else I've heard recently: freedom and form dance on a balance beam with no missteps. Two Miles Davis pieces ("Milestones" and "Miles Ahead"), Trane's "Naima," four Galper originals and a lovely introspective composition by bassist Johnson titled "Zen" are on the program. The opening "Milestones" sets the bar high in a bustling, multi-faceted interpretation. There are many highlights, including the aforementioned "Zen" and Galper's "Chromatic Fantasy." Bishop's drumming is unfailingly imaginative and fervid. If you think that there's nothing "new" or "original" to be heard in the piano-bass-drums trio format this CD will likely change your mind. This is fresh, invigorating music played with passion, soul, precision and razor-sharp intellect.
Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz
Pianist Hal Galper spent a big part of his career working with some of the giants of the mainstream, players like trumpeter Chet Baker, alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, guitar master John Scofield and bop alto sax legend Phil Woods. With his Agents of Change (Fabola Records, 2006), a trio outing with drummer Billy Mintz and bassist Tony Marino, he moved out of the familiar flow to explore the "rubato style" of playing, an open, circular approach to time and melody.
On Furious Rubato he forges ahead with that exploratory process, again in the trio setting, enlisting bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop to round out his sound.
From the first cut, Miles Davis' "Milestones," there's a feeling of leaving a comfort zone behind and embracing that change with a familiar/foreign dynamic. The melody remains recognizable, but Galper stretches it and bends it around, revealing new shades and shapes of beauty inside the tune. The also familiar John Coltrane composition, "Naima," gets a similar treatment, as does another Miles Davis tune, "Miles Ahead." Also included are four Galper originals and one by Johnson, "Zen."
Galper's succinctly phrased, percussive and sometimes brittle piano style brings bop pioneer Bud Powell to mind. His up-tempo "Figurine" has a tumbling water vibe, and some compellingly off-kilter comping behind Jeff Johnson's rumbling bass solo. The ten minute-plus Galper original, "Valse Cool," has a classic-sounding melody, like something from The Great American Songbook getting stretched and compressed, then stretched anew.
An innovative direction, Furious
Rubato takes a few spins to assimilate, but they are spins well
worth the effort. It's a listening experience that pushes the
boundaries of the comfort zone, and beautifully so.\
Thomas Conrad, JazzTimes, June 2007
I thought I knew something about Hal Galper. I did not know Hal Galper at all. Hal Galper has evolved.
In the liner notes he says that he has become fascinated with rubato-bending and shaping tempo to enhance expression. He has been practicing "sporadically at ... unpredictable times of the day or night" for six years, exploring this concept. Often, for artists, specific devices are less important in themselves than as paths to new creativity. Galper's investigation of rubato has liberated his piano trio, sprung it loose from time. This album contains the most complex, daring, exhilarating music of Galper's career.
On the opening "Milestones," the famous tune is there, but only one among many huge swirling forms. Galper says the piece is still "in tempo but not the basic tempo." It surges and recedes in free form, impossible to anticipate yet coherent in its own logic. "Naima" is revealed with such slow yearning it sometimes nearly dies away but then flows out again. "Miles Ahead" is another galaxy containing the song somewhere among all the other notes like stars.
One reason this project is successful is that bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop respond so creatively to the challenge of playing in "tempo but not the basic tempo."
The achievement of Furious Rubato is that it sounds like nothing else yet it makes sense.
Marc Medwin, Cadence
Hal Galper's offering was the biggest surprise. It's the furthest out, his playing much more adventurous than I would have expected. Clearly in the tradition, his keyboard attack is nevertheless somehow brazen, bold and certain, as with Andrew Hill of the Strange Serenade period. Even the usually serene "Naima" emits raw energy, the melody twisted almost out of recognition. "Milestones" is subjected to similar treatment, becoming a no holds- barred fauret into pantonality. Scene's Johnson and Bishop provide wonderful support, and while this set comprises a more or less conventional piano trio hierarchy, their roles are far from insignificant.
Ken Dryden, All About Jazz.com
Hal Galper's aptly named Furious Rubato, finds the pianist opening the listener's ears by stretching the tempo of the tunes and frequently seeming to be playing independently of his rhythm section without ever losing sight of the harmony within each song, approaching free jazz but never abandoning post-bop. He's accompanied by bassist Jeff Johnson (who has worked with Galper regularly in the past) and drummer John Bishop, both of whom excel in meeting the pianist's demands.
The fireworks start with his avalanche-like introduction to Miles Davis' "Milestones" (the song first recorded for Savoy, not the later one for Columbia that's also known as "Miles"), the piece cooling slightly as Galper steps back to feature Johnson then rekindling the fire in his exchanges with Bishop. He recasts John Coltrane's "Naima" by incorporating unexpected space between its chords, while his turbulent reworking of Davis' "Miles Ahead" also reveals new possibilities. Galper's originals are no less demanding, highlighted by his off-center ballad "Valse Cool" and intense "Chromatic Fantasy." Johnson contributes "Zen," which initially sounds like a meditation but builds to a dramatic climax. Hardly a typical jazz piano trio session, this fascinating music is well worth exploring.
Andrew Johnston, Jazz Review
Rubato is a difficult to define term, but it can be described as taking liberty in the tempo to obtain a certain feeling or mood. It is more common in classical solo pieces, but pianist Hal Galper, along with Jeff Johnson and John Bishop explore this abstract musical concept in a jazz trio setting on Furious Rubato.
As the title suggests, the trio uses rubato throughout the album. While playing, each member of the band can change the tempo at any given time. As Galper explains in the liner notes the main rule for playing in this unique style is just "let the melody be your guide".
Galper, Johnson, and Bishop pull off the rubato brilliantly most of the time. They use it in a way that propels the music forward. They are able to play off each other and stay in sync with one another. A superb showing of the group's ability is on "Naima". They are able to accelerate the tempo during the pinnacle of the piece which makes it sound more dramatic and meaningful. But at times, such as on the opening track "Milestones," the technique can make an uneasy overall sound.
Galper takes most of the melodies. He plays dense, rich chords and exceptional melodies. Jeff Johnson interplays with Galper, playing licks on the bass. Bishop does not take the traditional drummer's role of laying down a groove. Instead, he creates another layer of sound with rhythmic figures and effects.
Hal Galper, Jeff Johnson, and John Bishop play innovative music using an interesting approach on Furious Rubato.