Reviewed: 2020—03-07
Genre: Jazz
FCCs: none
Review: This young Indonesian pianist has come a long way over his last five albums, gradually developing his own style, which he shows off in abundance here. At age 16, he is already charting his own course and becoming a fixture on the jazz scene. Hi band is tight and versatile. All the tunes were written and arranged by Alexander.
If You Like: Hal Galper, Wynton Kelly, Bobby Floyd, Konrad Paszkudzki
Track Review (favorites denoted by *):
**1/ Warna (6:45) – percussion starts> uptempo jam> quick stop
*2/ Mosaic (Of Beauty) (5:12) – drums start> midtempo jam with shifting melodies> fade
3/ Lonely Streets (5:34) – piano starts> midtempo jam slowly builds uptempo, then mellows> fade
**4/ Downtime (4:26) – piano starts> fast tempo jam> quick stop
*5/ Affirmation I (3:46) – piano starts> slow tempo jam slowly builds to uptempo> fade
***6/ Inner Urge (7:16) – piano starts> uptempo hesitating jam swings into fast tempo> crescendo end
7/ We Here (5:24) – piano starts> midtempo jam with guest flute> slow fade
8/ Tis Our Prayer (4:06) – piano starts with cascading notes> slow tempo jam> slow fade
9/ Fragile (4:38) – piano starts> midtempo jam> slow fade
*10/ Our Story (5:50) – percussion starts> midtempo jam builds to uptempo> slow fade
11/ Affirmation II (5:40) – piano starts hesitatingly> midtempo jam builds to uptempo> quick stop
*12/ The Light (3;30) – piano starts> slow tempo jam with guest flute> slow fade