Cold Plunge Records releases the new Album “Portrait of the Artist” the music of jazz composer Gregg Hill —rendered in exquisite detail by band leader Ben Rosenblum on piano. The full album also features Ben Zweig on drums and Marty Jaffe on bass. Rosenblum shares one of the special tracks in this newly released album. The full album features Rosenblum on piano, Ben Zweig on drums and Marty Jaffe on bass.
For more information on Cold Plunge Records visit: https://www.coldplungerecords.com
Updated: Apr 11, 2022
Rosenblum is a vessel of insight among the sea of jazz pianists today. What sets him apart from his contemporaries is his imaginative wit, economy, sense of proportion and motivic logic. He is a wonderful choice for Gregg Hill’s music, with his firm grasp of the jazz piano tradition and great breadth of stylistic mastery. Where there are Monkisms and Tynerisms in the musical language, Rosenblum is attentive without ever resorting to mimicry. This album entices repeated listens with its tunefulness and range of moods. The sound of classic jazz piano trio records are all here, such as on “New Sunday,” recalling an Ellingtonian “Money Jungle” palette. The echoes of Bill Evans in “Portrait of the Artist,” Ahmad Jamal and McCoy Tyner in “Modal Yodel” that are all delightfully present in Hill’s writing are taken as springboards for the stories to unfold.
Rosenblum is one of those rare jazz interpreters who improvise in order to continue the narrative set up by the composition. He develops his ideas at the service of the tune, his elaborations imbued with a sense of inevitability, wielding both expression and meaning. Yet he is judicious with his musical treatments.
The bright splashes that open the album on “Fanogram” give way to Jaffe’s authoritative and melodic upright bass solo, underpinned by the lush and tasteful drumming and delicate cymbal work of Ben Zweig. Rosenblum draws out the figurative musical rainbows and curlicues of the melodic contours just as he has internalized and distilled Hill's musical language. The trio jumps into the Tyner-inspired “Modal Yodel” into an exploratory direction using rhythmic drive and propulsion to take the melodic fragments to trance-like heights. The group captures the stylistic range of Gregg Hill’s music with the medley of “First Impulse” as they beautifully transition into “Finder’s Keepers.” A bass-pedal tone driven dream sequence ensues and gossamer piano chords float the theme rubato at first. When the music really hits its stride, Rosenblum borrows a clear and declarative shout gesture from “Poinciana” which he cleverly transforms over the chord changes. The title track “Portrait of the Artist” is played sensitively and lyrically. The arco bass solo that follows the theme has an effective texture, plumbing the depths like an incantation over a drone, rising to meet the chord change before the piano solo. The percussion’s timbre shifts and the group dances as if around a musical ritual fire. “Thank You Notes” is a wonderful bop number. Jaffe adds a couple Monk of tasty quotes and Zweig lays down some sizzling brush work.
This album is truly a gem, a great pairing of memorable and evocative musical paintings played by a wonderful group. It’s certainly a lovely “Portrait” of Hill rendered in exquisite detail by Rosenblum and his fantastic trio of Ben Zweig on drums and Marty Jaffe on bass.
The Music of Gregg Hill
Release Date: February 7, 2020
BROTHERS is a meeting of the minds of some of Michigan’s premier jazz performers. Many of these players have crossed paths in various configurations over the last couple of decades. The material ranges across the jazz spectrum, showcasing the band leaders’ formidable arranging skills and versatility, and provides a platform for these talented players to put their own stamp on it. Composer Gregg Hill quotes, “I was fortunate to record these fine players in a live setting, and there are moments when I felt I was capturing lightning in a bottle.”
The first four tunes of this album are led by acclaimed guitarist and Michigan State University (MSU) Professor of Jazz Randy Napoleon. Known as a forward-thinking musician with a passion for the jazz tradition, guitarist Napoleon toured with the legendary singer/pianist Freddy Cole for many years. He has performed on The Tonight Show, Late Night With David Letterman, The View, The Today Show, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Napoleon has played or arranged on over seventy records, including the latest gem “Common Tones”.
The second four tunes on this album are led by Bill Heid, a veteran pianist/vocalist. Born in Pittsburgh, Heid has performed throughout the U.S., Canada, South America, Europe, and across the Pacific. He has worked with such jazz greats such as Sonny Stitt, David “Fathead” Newman, Rodney Whitaker, Grant Green and Bruce Foreman.
Drummer Randy Gelispie (or “Uncle G” as he is known to his students) is considered a jazz icon. He is also an MSU Professor of Jazz, and has been a professional jazz drummer since he started playing with a 10-piece band in the ninth grade. Gelispie has traveled on the road with Wes Montgomery, Sonny Stitt, Dinah Washington, Etta Jones, Lou Donaldson and Gene Ammons.
String bassist Paul Keller is well-known for his magnificent 15-piece Orchestra, which he has expertly led every Monday in Ann Arbor since 1988. Keller is a crack jazz composer and arranger. He has traveled the world with Diana Krall, Russell Malone, Eddie Higgins and John Pizzarelli. Over the years he has accompanied a long list of jazz luminaries.
Rick Roe is a veteran jazz pianist, composer and performer. He has produced and co-produced ten albums of original compositions, and arranged jazz standards with some of the most accomplished jazz musicians in the world. Rick is an acclaimed “musicians” musician, known for his Monkish themes and a striking original style of his own.
Label: Cold Plunge Records | Gregg Hill Jazz
PR Contact:
Lisa Reedy, Lisa Reedy Promotions
775-826-0755
