In My Element

ROBERT GLASPER: In My Element
Blue Note, 2007

Mainstream but forward-thinking jazz piano trio. Most tunes start off with a mellow, soulfully “contemporary” vibe, but on some tracks (1, 6, 9) that’s just a launching pad for Glasper’s rapid-fire, staccato soloing. Other tracks are content to just lay back and chill…

WARNING: Most tracks drop out a minute (or two) before the end, followed by silence and then a rhythmic interlude.

Fo’s Picks: 1, 2, 6, 9, 11

1. 8:29 – quick burner, simple melody, great piano solo (and dig the drums!)
2. 8:11 – gently rolling, fast for ballad, pretty melody, lyrical piano/bass solos
3. 5:57 – chill soul-jazz with a hip-hop touch to the beat, some lush breaks
4. 3:35 – solo piano, a composite of several gospel themes
5. 6:46 – upbeat, gospel-inflected jazz; pretty piano… aggressive coda
6. 8:56 – modern standard, relaxed against quick rhythm, nice bass solo
7. 8:43 – Herbie Hancock/Radiohead mash-up w/cool solos, shifting energy
8. 4:26 – phone msg, then a set of brief hip-hop style grooves (“sample me!”)
9. 7:20 – squirrelly piano over quick, low bass & drums + some boppish runs
10. 6:33 – relaxed & soulful with a Latin rhythm, rhapsodic piano solo
11. 3:43 – stirring ballad, with excerpts from an amazing eulogy for Glasper’s mom, a singer who was murdered in 2004. This made me cry.

[ Fo ] 13-Jun-07