AGENTS OF CHANGE REVIEWS By Dan McClenaghan; AllAboutJazz.com
Published: July 31, 2006, 4 Stars
Pianist Hal Galper spent most of the '80s playing in Phil Woods' quintet, and he spent three years on the road with Cannonball Adderley. He's also worked with Chet Baker and Stan Getz, and he cites bop pioneer Bud Powell as a major influence; so you might expect on his latest offering, the piano trio Agents of Change, some straightahead bebop sounds. But there's a surprise in store: a change.
Playing in a "rubato" style, immersing himself in some time-tested standards and three of his own compositions, Galper and company stretch out in the direction of freedom on some deep explorations of familiar melodies. Agents of Change is a very fine and quite unique piano trio outing.
The company Galper keeps here tells a part of the story: bassist Tony Marino was recently heard on Ron Thomas' fluid and exploratory set Doloroso (Art of Life, 2006); drummer Billy Mintz shined on the marvelous free outing Beautiful You (Origin, 2004). On well-known tunes like "On Green Dolphin Street" and "How Deep is the Ocean," the trio delves deep, gets to the core, and then stretches it out. The disc opens with the familiar "E.S.P.," from the pen of Wayne Shorter, beginning in a recognizable mode before the trio moves in the direction of freedom.
The Miles Davis/John Coltrane vehicle "Dear Old Stockholm" is a highlight. The musicians play out the gorgeous melody with a free flowing intensity, turning it into a personal exploration without ever losing the essense of the tune. On Irving Berlin's "How Deep is the Ocean," they step lightly and abstractly into the melody, then click into a bouncy groove, sounding almost straightahead. Galper's "Waiting for Chet," a lovely eleven-minute rumination on his old bandmate, trumpeter Chet Baker, wanders introspectively.
D. Oscar Groomes, O\'s Place Jazz Magazine2006-11-11
Hal Galper - Pianist Hal Galper leads a trio with Tony Marino (b) and Billy Mintz (d). Each of them gets an opportunity to shine on the seven tunes a mixture of uniquely arranged standards and originals. It is bop with a free spirit! We really liked the bass solo on "Liquid Audio" and Hal's lengthy abstract introduction on "Waiting For Chet". Both are Galper compositions that are fresh and invigorating. "Dear Old Stockholm" and "On Green Dolphin Street" are fine examples of the wonderful interplay between Galper and Marino. Mintz not only keeps the time but also injects accents to color the music and make the arrangements unique.
All Music Guide
A seven year wait for a new CD by Hal Galper was a bit too long for his long time fans, but the pianist doesn't disappoint with this excellent post-bop session, released in late 2006. Bassist tony Marino and drummer Billy Mintz join him to interpret his demanding charts, which often have the leader seeming to work somewhat independently of his rhythm section. The standard "How Deep is the Ocean" bears little resemblance to typical interpretations, only loosely using the song's framework as a source of improvisation. Likewise, a listener would be challenged to hum along with his dense, enticing setting of the old warhorse "On Green Dolphin Street." The one readily accessible piece is John Coltrane's moody scoring of the Swedish folk song "Dear Old Stockholm," but Galper tests its boundaries as well, just to a lesser extent. The leader's originals are every bit as challenging, with the updated performance of his rather intense "Waiting For Chet" proving to be the highlight. It's available through the artist's website at www.halgalper.com. Ken Dryden
by John Nyerges , JazzRadio 24/7
The Hal Galper Trio
This 2006 release (FABCD#11) can be found on Fabola reords. It might as well be called fabulous records. The music is great and so is the sonic quality of the recording. This CD takes you on a journey of creativity and is a lesson on how to play together as a trio, play great melodies 'in the moment', and with phrasing. It will be in my CD player for a while. Digesting this level of playing takes a while. This is not your typical commercial jazz radio station playlist material (3 cuts are over 11 or 12 minutes long). It's art music, and I mean that in a good way
The music is played with a 'loose' feel most of the time, with the drummer and bassist playing around the pulse rather than just stating it in a more typical ding-ding-ding-dica-ding (ride cymbal) way. Every cut draws you in and has something to say. When the drums and bass on a few tunes do break in to a steady pulse, it's that much more exciting. It reminds me of the steady quartet gig (1980's) I had with Steve Davis (former Coltrane bassist) where he would sometimes play in a two feel for what seemed a dozen choruses on a tune and I'm thinking "When is he…?"… but how sweet it was when 4/4 came along after that anticipation! About seven minutes in on Liquid Audio (Galper original) it gets really intense. The phrasing of all three players is absolutely beautiful. Hal's piano voicings have the most amazingly thick but wonderful harmonic crunches, especially in dear Old Stockholm. Dynamics and emotion are also here in abundance, which just makes it that more enjoyable. Although there were many, the piano line at 1:45 through 2:03 was a special moment for me.
The playing is 'in the moment' as I said earlier. You know it when you hear it, and you know that's the best stuff. Sonar, an original by Hal, has a up tempo groove at 3:00 in and then descends into wildness. I listened to this on a NAD stereo with Paradigm Studio 20 monitors and loved the overall sound and mix. One little moment - the 3 rd last chord in E.S.P. seemed like the piano voicing had 1 or 2 extra notes against the bass root that my ears said was not on purpose but this is real jazz and playing at the edge and at this level is fantastic. I also would have like more of the cuts to break out of the loose feel, but that's my own preference. The title of this CD, the apparent vision, and playing are all in agreement here making Agents of Change a 'must-have'.
Stuart Broomer, Toronto Life / CODA, 2006-10-05
This is an exceptional trio foray, confirming the values of the tradional jazz piano trio with real rhythmic power.
Helen Jarroe, Cairns FM89.1, 2006-10-03This is fantastic music, and simply unclassifiable. Thank you for the opportunity to play and review this album.
Reinhard Koechl, Jazz Thing, Jazzthetik (Germany), 2006-09-28 05:01:41What a great Trio! If you want to know how interplay works, listen to "Agents Of Change".
Barry O\'Sullivan, BLU FM 89.1, 2006-10-04, A slightly indulgent recording that reeks of overplaying and repetition in style. Sorry but I didn't like anything about any of the tunes.
Lenny Mazel, KCME-FM, 2006-09-12 10:23:01, Certainly not your typical mainstream jazz piano trio. Very adventurous, quite intriguing. I liked it.
Leon Reyes, KVMR Radio, 2006-09-05 11:11:34, A CD that's musically artistic and that should be in everyone's jazz collection.
Peter L. Poses, Ph.D., LMFT, KRFC FT COLLINS 88.9FM HomeGrown Community Radio, 2006-08-17 12:01:46....A top shelf release with a far-reachin' inventiveness that brings a new perspective to long established, set-in-its-ways material. "On Green Dolphin Street" is a case in point, and indicative of this fine release --- full of sounds of surprise. Thanx for your artistry.
Tony Bates, Highlands 100.7FM, 2006-07-25 06:03:38Contemporary Jazz has found its masters in this album; exquisitely performed and well produced. Go buy it!