Even Your Ears

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Pianist Richard Grossman sadly died in 1992; this CD, in 1990 and shortly before his death two years later reveal what a tragedy his untimely death was, and how unfortunate it is that he was rarely much more than a footnote in contemporary jazz history. Having paid his dues in the 50s playing bebop in Philadelphia, Grossman was drawn towards Free Jazz in Ornette Coleman's wake. But where Free for many pianists - Cecil Taylor, Paul Bley, Mal Waldron - often meant varying degrees of energy-music, Grossman's music was always far more impressionistic. These sessions were performed as solos and as duets and trios with two long-term West Coast collaborators, double bassist Ken Filiano, and percussionist Alex Cline. The music is entirely improvised, yet it has an unmistakable sense of deep structure; its mood is more reminiscent of Japanese gagaku than of much improv: stately, austere, ritualistic, magical. Taking their lead from Grossman's elliptical pianism, Cline and Filiano use their instruments often unconventionally; Cline's bowed and scraped percussion deserves special mention, sounding intriguingly electronic. Let's hope that more of Grossman's recordings surface over the next few years.