Lynne Arriale: Convergence auf CD

- Eine geniale Arrangeurin, Komponistin und Solistin - sie hat eine der originellsten Ensemble-Aufnahmen des Jahres 2009 eingespielt -, so lobte DownBeat ihre vergangene IN + OUT Records Veröffentlichung Nuance. Lynne Arriale steht noch ganz unter dem Eindruck des Schwungs, den diese Scheibe verursacht hat. Nun trifft sie mit Convergence erneut ins Schwarze, einem eloquenten Werk voller Kraft und Stärke, das sich in bislang unerforschtes musikalisches Fahrwasser vorwagt. Dabei wird sie von einer neuen Band begleitet, die einige der gefragtesten New Yorker Musiker umfasst: Bill McHenry am Tenorsaxophon, Omer Avital an Bass und Oud sowie ihr unerschütterlicher neuer Drummer Anthony Pinciotti, der schon auf Nuance mit von der Partie war.

Auf Convergence zeigt Arriale beim Führen dieser neuen Band ihr ganzes Können, Wendigkeit und Finesse – und dies in einem Repertoire von sechs zeitlosen Originalkompositionen sowie fünf Popstücken, die für Überraschungen sorgen. George Harrisons Klassiker Here Comes the Sun, Stings bluesiges Sister Moon, Paint It Black von den Stones, Blondies Call Me und Something I Can Never Have von den Nine Inch Nails werden sämtlich in brillanter Art und Weise in ein neues Gewand gekleidet. In ihren Eigenkompositionen demonstriert Arriale ein umfassendes kompositorisches Geschick und zugleich eine breite Palette von kulturellen und folkloristischen Einflüssen, die von der unverkennbaren Jazzlaune in Elements” zur mystischen Atmosphäre und den nahöstlichen Anklängen in Dance Of The Rain reichen. In letzterem unterstützt sie der hochgelobte israelische Bassist Omer Avital an der arabischen Laute. Keltische Einsprengsel sind auch ohne Weiteres herauszulauschen, wie etwa im vorwärtstreibenden Here and Now und den rhythmischen, harmonischen und kulturellen Schnittpunkten des Titelstücks, das vom lyrischen Tenorsax ihres Mitstreiters Bill McHenry frische Energiezufuhr erhält. Zwei atemberaubende Balladen, For Peace” und The Simple Things”, werfen ein Schlaglicht auf Arriales ganz besondere Stärke: Randy Brecker hat diese als Ziehen an den Saiten des Herzens bezeichnet - und genau diese Stärke führt dazu, dass Arriale ein internationales Publikum begeistern kann. Denn der Kern ihres starken Appeals besteht aus einer verblüffenden Fähigkeit sowohl mit ihrer Band als auch ihren Zuhörern zu kommunizieren. Arriale selbst kommentiert das so: Die Melodie schafft eine ganz besondere Energie und ein Gefühl beim Hörer. Ich möchte, dass mein Solo aus der Melodie heraus erwächst. Ich nehme eine Idee, entwickle sie, stülpe sie von innen nach außen und komme schließlich zum ursprünglichen Motiv zurück. Das erzeugt im Publikum eine Resonanz. Die Menschen erinnern sich an Melodien, nicht an harmonische Abläufe. Die alten Melodien der Folkmusik funktionieren ja ganz ohne Harmonie! Und sie ergänzt einen Satz, der selbstverständlich klingt, es aber bei weitem nicht ist: Jazz sollte nicht nur für Jazzliebhaber gemacht werden. In der Musik geht es darum, Leute zu verbinden und sie teilhaben zu lassen.

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Drawing from jazz, world / folk, pop / rock, and alternative musical influences, Lynne masterfully connects with her increasingly diverse audience creating an intimate experience through her boldly melodic original compositions and imaginative reinterpretations of unexpected pop classics.

Lynne Arriale is still experiencing the momentum of her previous release, a dizzying flurry of magazine covers, features and stellar critical reviews heralding her skills as an “ingenious arranger, composer, soloist and performer…Arriale has made one of the most original ensemble recordings of 2009. NUANCE is an album of brilliant group interpretations, finely crafted original material, intricate arrangements and rapt solos” (DownBeat). Never content to rest on her laurels, Arriale strikes again with an eloquent new work of power and strength exploring previously uncharted musical waters. She’s thrown herself into the deep end of the pool with a new band of young lions, Omer Avital on bass and Bill McHenry on tenor sax, and her stalwart new drummer from NUANCE, Anthony Pinciotti. On CONVERGENCE, Arriale swims to the surface with stunning adroitness, agility and finesse taking on not only the challenges of a new band, but a repertoire of six memorable originals and five unexpected pop tunes ranging from George Harrison and John Lennon’s classic, Here Comes the Sun, to Sting’s bluesy Sister Moon, the Rolling Stones’ epic Paint it Black, Blondie’s signature tune, Call Me and the edgy Something I Can Never Have by Nine Inch Nails, all brilliantly and surprisingly re-imagined. On her originals she demonstrates broad compositional skill and a range of cultural and folkloric influences, from the straight ahead jazz romp on Elements to the tantric excitement of the up-tempo tour de force, Here and Now, and Dance Of The Rain’s Middle Eastern influences, each featuring the highly acclaimed Israeli bassist, Omer Avital, featured on the oud on the latter.

Also evident is the Celtic spin on the more cerebral, rhythmic, harmonic and cultural intersections of the title tune, Convergence, enhanced by the fresh, new, lyrical voice of tenorist, Bill McHenry. Two stunning ballads, For Peace, as haunting, soulful and searching as its elusive title, and The Simple Things, a sonic snapshot of the heartfelt, universal emotions that resonate so resoundingly for all of us, each shining a light on the particular strength Arriale has of “tugging at the heart strings” (Randy Brecker), a trait that has made her a favorite of audiences internationally.

At the core of her vast appeal is the subtle, seduction of her intoxicating, memorable melodies and ability to communicate with her band and her audiences. “She achieves a special, deep connection with her audience, and the energy flows both ways. Arriale’s emotional authenticity allows her audience to feel and think along with her” (JazzTimes). Arriale commented, “The melody is what creates a particular energy and feeling in the listener and it sets the tone. I want my solo to grow out of the melody. Through motivic development, something I’ve worked hard on with my mentor, Richie Beirach, I take an idea, develop it, turn it inside out and come back to it at the end. That resonates with people. Ultimately people remember melodies, not harmonic progressions.” JazzInside says, “She’s an explorer, and a true artist with a very unique voice. She writes beautiful melodies that are memorable and singable, with mindboggling harmonic richness.”

Notes Pinciotti, “Lynne has basically done her own thing her entire career. She had a vision for this record and it took a minute to fine tune everyone; it wasn’t a typical jazz date. Lynne was looking for each piece to have its own specific feeling but also wanted our input. It was a balance between having our contributions with specific directions about phrasing and dynamics. It wasn’t just playing lead sheets.”

“Jazz shouldn’t just be for jazz lovers,” explains Arriale. “It’s all about music, organized sound meant to reach people. It’s thinking outside the box in that there should be no box, actually. It’s about finding melodies that somehow resonate with listeners. Recently I’ve been listening to a lot of pop and folk music, and what strikes me most about folk music is that without any harmony, the melodies have such integrity. It has made me think more about what makes a great melody, and I’ve tried to employ some of my ideas here. At the end of the day it’s about connecting with people and sharing.”

Arriale has been sharing her prolific body of audio and video recorded work all over the world since winning the 1993 Great American Piano Competition. A “100 Golden Fingers Tour” of Japan soon followed with jazz giants Hank Jones, Tommy Flanagan, Kenny Barron, Cedar Walton, Ray Bryant, Junior Mance, Harold Mabern, Roger Kellaway and Monty Alexander, collaborations with icons Benny Golson, and Rufus Reid, and more recently, George Mraz, Randy Brecker, among many others, which speak to her considerable skill and stature within the jazz / improvised music community. She’s performed to packed houses at such prestigious venues as The Spoleto Festival, The Gilmore Piano Festival, JALC’s Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Kansas City’s Folly Theater, several Women in Jazz Festivals at The Kennedy Center and international jazz festivals too numerous to mention. In addition to being an accomplished jazz performer and scholar, Arriale is equally dedicated to sharing her knowledge and experience and is currently on the faculty at The University of North Florida as an Assistant Professor of Jazz Piano and Director of Small Ensembles, where jazz great Bunky Greene is the Director of Jazz Studies. She also teaches privately and conducts master classes, clinics and workshops internationally. Says Arriale, “each of these experiences and collaborations is responsible for my having to set the bar higher in terms of my composing, arranging and performance skills at every performance and on every new recording. These truly gifted masters have inspired me to work even harder by adding more emotion and purpose to my work, and I have come to realize that mastery is only achieved by a lifelong commitment to continued education, discipline, practice and a need to continually set a higher standard of personal excellence.”

While her personal quest continues, the press is onto her remarkable accomplishments and more than eager to spread the word among jazz and music lovers everywhere. Lynne Arriale is “arguably the poet laureate pianist of her generation” (Jazz Police). “She has a genuine flair for seeing jazz potential in compositions which would not appear to suggest themselves as jazz vehicles, says Amazon, and is equally adept at creating refreshingly new treatments of standards and originals. The L. A. Weekly declares Arriale “a great, organic pianist whose beautiful and muscular playing ranks with Mehldau and Bill Evans.” After one listen to CONVERGENCE you’ll discover why The Sunday Times – London declared, “Lynne Arriale is putting the heart back into jazz.” Spread the word. (motema. com)

Rezensionen

,,Ein Meisterstück!" (Jazzthing, 04 / 05.2011)

,,Die Aufnahmen der Klassiker und Eigenkompositionen grooven erfrischend - egal, ob die Pianistin im Trio agiert oder mit dem Tenorsaxofonisten Bill McHenrv ein viertes Bandmitglied einsetzt." (audio, 06 / 2011)