| DENNY ZEITLIN: LABYRINTH |
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Email Webmaster for Foreign Purchase Sunnyside Records |
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| Denny Zeitlin – Piano |
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| Video "Denny Zeitlin: Labyrinth" - This is a new CD album release. A video is coming soon |
| Track Listing |
| 1 Footprints 7:08 Soundclip: A free approach to Wayne Shorter's classic  2 Sail Away 6:43 Soundclip: The opening melody of Tom Harrell's haunting bossa nova 3 They Say It's Wonderful 7:43 Soundclip: The free introduction leading into the opening melody of Irving Berlin's standard 4 Lazy Bird 2:43 Soundclip: The last 8 bars of Coltrane's tune, followed by a bit of the initial improvisation 5 As Long As There's Music 5:34 Soundclip: The opening melody of Jule Styne's standard 6 Labyrinth 10:48 Soundclip: A bit of the multi-timbral improvisation inside the piano 7 People Will Say We're In Love 9:42 Soundclip: Introduction of the melody of Richard Rogers' standard from Oklahoma 8 Brazilian Street Dance 7:29 Soundclip: Opening vamp ushering in the melody 9 Dancing In The Dark 6:02 Soundclip: The opening melodic statement of this classic standard 10 Slipstream 7:47 Soundclip: The opening thematic statement |
REVIEWS |
"Labyrinth" (Sunnyside), released this year, is the latest sparkling solo piano album by Mr. Zeitlin, a veteran of the format…" "Bay Area jazz guru Denny Zeitlin evokes such classical icons as Paderewski and Scriabin—romantic, bravura keyboardists whose blend of technique and passion galvanized listeners…Zeitlin, who began recording in the '60s for Columbia, has always mixed rhapsody and rigor... Zeitlin goes where more conventional pianists fear to tread but never loses his way…Labyrinth is an effortless tour de force." "No other jazz pianist veers back and forth over the line between the foundation of a classical musical education and the unfettered joy and playfulness of spontaneous creation better than Zeitlin… In his seventh decade now, Zeitlin has achieved the "venerable" status; but he isn't resting on his considerable achievements. Labyrinth offers up the best music of his career." "Here are some of the great and near-great solo jazz pianists now working, from Bill Evans’ near contemporary Denny Zeitlin, who may be the most creative of all these days, to Craig Taborn and Gonzalo Rubalcaba… Zeitlin is magnificent when playing solo, with total control over a massive and varied arsenal of techniques..little, if anything, is predictable on “Labyrinth,” where the communication between pianist and small audience was obviously on a very high level." "…One of the best albums of Zeitlin's recent years. At 73, he is a brilliant and always enjoyable pianist bursting with a devastating energy…While piano solos too often take on the appearance of somewhat sad introspection, the psychiatrist Zeitlin finds instead a great outlet and a way to move with great passion and generosity." "Zeitlin's touch is so distinctive that his longtime fans will recognize his playing immediately…like the vintage wines that Denny Zeitlin collects, the masterful pianist keeps getting better with age." "With his vivid imagination and command of time, Denny Zeitlin is one pianist who sounds constrained in anything but a solo setting, even though he's played with several great rhythm sections…By turns impressionistic and tightly focused, this is a beautifully paced and sensitively played recital." "With pianist Denny Zeitlin, you sense that he isn't quite sure where he wants to end up on any given song. The truth is he isn't. Which is part of what makes him so special and engaging as an artist. Denny courageously rushes out on limbs. But instead of inching back to safety when he hears creaking, he simply hurls himself into space, confident that somewhere along the way he will find another limb and grab hold. And invariably he does. A prime example of Denny's fearless piano style is exhibited on Labyrinth, his latest release…" "Zeitlin is truly a master of the piano, with a technique so superior that he appears to be almost alone at the top … Labyrinth, his most mesmerizing solo record to date… every time Zeitlin sits at the keyboard, genius is awakened… he has contributed some of the most definitive literature to the Great Piano Songbook… Zeitlin's masterful use of the language of music is permanently enshrined in everything he touches." "A great title for this live solo recording from a pianist who has proven time and again that there’s an orchestra inside the piano. Zeitlin takes us through every conceivable twist and turn, from the spectacular opening “Footprints” (apparently you do not need Wayne Shorter to give this starpower) to the delicate “They Say It’s Wonderful” to the rambunctious “Lazy Bird” to the majestic “Dancing in the Dark.” "[4 Stars—Highest Rating] Denny Zeitlin’s new live solo piano album is an intimate affair brimming with verve, lyricism and improvisation… Listeners are directly pulled into Zeitlin’s deeply personal musical universe." "His latest release Labyrinth, a live solo performance in front of a small group of people, drives many things home that Zeitlin has strived to capture over his long and esteemed career… Broad and expansive just like a real labyrinth, this new release proves that you can grow old while still staying in touch with the modern." "Jazz Pianist Denny Zeitlin's new album is super-good… Over the course of Denny Zeitlin’s estimable career, the heart-brain balance in his playing has always been just right. True to form, the Marin-based pianist’s new solo album, “Labyrinth: Live Solo Piano” (Sunnyside), is as soulful as it is cagily engrossing…He can eat up the keyboard, for sure. But it's his taste and warmth of expression which may send you over the edge…Long admired by other top pianists (e.g., Billy Taylor and Herbie Hancock), Zeitlin has garnered a loyal audience…." |
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