Posi-Tone's Swingtet Celebrates the Label's Thirtieth Year with Style on "In Jazz We Trust"

Posi-Tone Swingtet In Jazz We Trust: Posi-Tone Records

For those who enjoy straight ahead jazz with no excuses, Posi Tone Records has always delivered in an uncompromising fashion since the inception of the label in 1995. On February 28, 2025, co-owners Producer Marc Free and Engineer Nick O'Toole, released their celebration of the label's thirty-year milestone with a fantastic album, Posi-Tone Swingtet's In God Jazz We that highlights their mission and celebrates the music with a star studded ten man band. The album  features many of the label's stalwart musicians including pianist Art Hirahara, trumpet/flugelhorn master Alex Sipiagin, trombonist/educator Michael Dease, tenor saxophonist Diego Rivera, alto saxophonist/flutist Patrick Cornelius, bass ace Boris Kozlov and the powerful drummer Rudy Royston.

The music, all but one of the selections composed by the musicians themselves, is a testament to just how symbiotic these musicians have developed as a group. It  reinforces just how in-tune Free and O'Toole are when they assemble and record a group like this, usually providing the right environment and encouragement to create and capture on tape a magical musical experience. 

In Jazz We Trust is no different. Few albums come out of the box with such unified, in synch excitement, proficiency and enthusiasm. The opener is titled "Invocation" and is composed by drummer Rudy Royston. Royston, one of the eras most sought after drummers, can often be seen on Pos-Tone projects. He also can be seen collaborating frequently with guitar ace Bill Frisell, saxophonist JD Allen and trumpeter Dave Douglas to name just a few. On we are treated to the brilliant rhythm section of Royston and bassist extraordinaire Boris Kozlov, who also anchors the Charles Mingus Big Band. Trumpet phenom Alex Sipiagin produces a soaring trumpet solo that shows grace and fluidity, and we hear pianist Art Hirahara adding inventive accompaniment.

The trombonist Steve Davis, a one time Posi-Tone artist, is the composer of "Free Time" and is provides some nice space for tenorist Diego Rivera to shine. Michael Dease's trombone work here is a joy- facile, fluid and creative- and we hear some beautiful interaction between Dease and Kozlov that is telepathic. 

One of my favorites is the quick paced swinger "Mal's Totem" written by Rivera. Kozlov and Royston push the rhythm beautifully, as Rivera's tenor is at his most creative here.

Kozlov's "Below the Line" finds the versatile Hirahara on Fender Rhodes lending an airy feel to this one.  The music has a moody feel to it and Dease navigates the terrain with measured style. Royston opens it up with some increased pace and syncopation and Kozlov's probing bass also adds to the mix before the tune returns to opening refrain.

Sipiagin's "Mirror" is a gorgeous ballad that features some killing trumpet work by Alex bringing new heights to the tune's pathos. Patrick Cornelius' alto cascades his lines with sensitivity to the theme.

Dease's  "Simmer," a tune that builds tension with Kozlov's repeating bass lines as it unfolds. Sipiagin's warm flugelhorn is another delight, as Kozlov's bass probes, percolates, and he raises the temperature to the higher ground. Dease's trombone work is just so bubbly, joyous, and inventive. Rivera and Cornelius trade lines in a smoking exchange of ideas. What really stands out is the horn sections and how tight and unified they sound. Bravo, just is pure beauty and Royston's drums just boil like a roiling cauldron. It doesn't get much better than this.

Art Hirahara's "Stepped Out" has a cosmopolitan feel. Cornelius offers a swinging alto solo as Kozlov and Royston carry the beat like a fine time piece. Hirahara plays some of his most uplifting piano here and Kozlov has plucky bass solo before the horns return to the opening lines.

The album continues with the staccato opening of Dease's "Don't Look Back Behind You" with Royston, Kozlov and Hirahara playing the lines in synch. The horn section repeats the liens in unison before Hirahira and the rhythm section take it off to the races. Dease adds a smoking trombone solo to this swinger, man can this guy play! You can't help but tap your feet and Royston's explosive drum work and solo here is incendiary as the horn section brings it to a definitive exclamation point.

Cornelius brings his tango-like "Le Rendez-vous Final" where he plays flute. The group create the dance-like feel with Kozlov's bass setting the pace with Royston's astute trap work. Hirahara's piano work is quite expressive with a European feel to it. 

The album closes with the swinger Misha Tsiganov's "Changing Times."  Its a treat to hear this section make such great music and you can feel the way each soloist adds his own touches to this romp. Rivera, Dease, Cornelius, Sipagin and Hirahara  all take their turns in succession and you can feel these guys are having fun. The set ends with some explosive drum work at the coda from Royston as the section adds there own exclamations. 

In Jazz We Trust is just pure delight, a true tribute to the label's thirtieth anniversary. I have not heard many release this year that swing as hard or deliver with such imbedded joy then this one. One can only hope Free and O'Toole can somehow manage to corral these guys once more time to create some more of this magic.

John Surman: "Flashpoints and Under Currents: A Time Trip and a Lost Treasure of Progressive Music Circa 1969

John Surman Flashpoints and Under Currents : Cuneiform 

The British born musician John Surman has been making music for over sixty years, first gaining recognition for his baritone saxophone work with the Mike Westbrook Band in the mid-sixties. Along the way, this creative soul was a key driving force in the British jazz scene. He pursued avant-garde, modal and free jazz genres, but he has also explored creative music incorporating folk, pastoral, choral and chamber-like musical inspirations. He is clearly an eclectic musical maestro of international importance. In addition to Westbrook, his curriculum vitae includes numerous notable collaborations that include artists like Dave Holland, John McLaughlin, Terje Rypdal, Mike Gibbs, Jack DeJohnette, Alexis Korner, Thomaz Stanko, John Taylor, Paul Bley, John Warren, John Marshall, and his partner vocalist Karin Krog.  

Now at the tender age of eighty, this man is continuing to produce modern musical offerings that still deliver to the listener consistent invention, beauty and reflection. He has become a perfect mentor for the upcoming artist of the next generation.

I have reviewed both of his most current ECM releases Invisible Threads (here) from Jan 2018 and his Words Unspoken (here) from 2024, and Surman never ceases to find ways to expand the palette and reinvent the concept of creative improvised music.

This latest release, Flashpoints and Under Currents, captures a live performance of Surman's ten-piece group from a performance recorded in Hamburg, Germany on April 18, 1969, apparently in front of an audience. At the time of this recording- a very busy year for Surman-he had just completed his second album as a leader titled How Many Clouds Can You See among several other collaborative efforts. This new release is a expanded release from Cuneiform Records which originally released Surman's studio recorded Flashpoint NDR Jazz Workshop -April 1969 and released in CD and DVD form in 2011. The latest release Flashpoints and Under Currents is more historically of interest because Surman has included eight additional compositions and because the listener is 

On this iteration of the group is the same. Surman plays soprano and baritone sax, and bass clarinet and is joined by the Canadian trumpet/flugelhorn master Kenny Wheeler. Three British saxophonist of note, Ronnie Scott on tenor and Alan Skidmore on tenor and flute, and Mike Osborne on alto fill the horn section with Malcom Griffiths and the Austrian Erich Kleinschuster are on trombones. The rhythm section includes another Austrian, Fritz Pauer handling the piano, the South African Harry Miller on upright bass, and another Brit, Alan Jackson on drums. The release includes thirteen compositions, ten by Surman and one each by Wheeler, Pauer, and Kleinschuster. The music runs a little over 108 minutes spanning in time from just over four minutes to just under twelve minutes in run time.

The group deserves a little biographical refresher to get the significance of this important session in context. The three members of this recording who are still present are John Surman, whose discography as a leader and his worldwide exposure as a sought after sideman, speak for themselves. The prolific saxophonist Alan Skidmore is now eighty-three. Skidmore's saxophone and flute started out in the blues with Britain rockers John Mayall and Alexis Korner and  graduated to associations with Elvin Jones, Weather Report and Dexter Gordon. And Alan Jackson, the drummer, who served in many of Mike Westbrook's ensembles besides working on several Surman projects, now eighty-five and  presumably retired from playing.  The remaining seven members of this band have sadly all transitioned. 

Mike Osborne, the alto saxophonist, retired in 1982 due to health issues, and passed in 2007 at the age of sixty-five. Ronnie Scott, saxophonist and one of the founders of his jazz world famous club named after him in London, passed in 1996 at the age of sixty-nine.  Kenny Wheeler the prolific and well respected composer/trumpeter left us in 2014 at the age of eighty-four. Trombone ace Malcom Griffiths, a one time member of Mike Westbrook's Band, Michael Gibbs Orchestra and lead trombone in Buddy's Rich's Orchestra, left us in 2021 at age seventy-nine. Austrian trombonist Erich Kleinschuster, an alumni of the Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland's ensemble, who also played with Stan Getz and Astrid Gilberto as well as harmonica giant Toots Thielman's,  left us in 2018 at the age of eighty-eight. Fellow Austrian and educator/pianist Franz Pauer, who played with prominent jazz artists like Dexter Gordon, Don Byas, Booker Ervin, and Art Farmer, passed in 2012 at the age of sixty-eight. South African bassist Harry Miller, besides working with Mike Westbrook's Band and Chris McGregor's Brotherhood Of Breath, also played with Elton John and as a guest bassist for King Crimson. He was tragically killed in an auto accident in 1983 at the age of forty-two. With this in mind, it becomes all the more significant to have a chance to listen to this talented assembly of some of Britain's most creative musicians at what might be arguably considered their prime, the late sixties.

The music from Flashpoints and Under Currents is a testament to Surman's inquisitive mind. It captures the musician as an aspiring composer and arranger for larger format ensembles, while capturing his proficiency as a formidable multi-reed artist and as a leader.  The compositions can be risky, probing, dynamic, often free, sometimes cacophonous or modal in nature. But sometimes the music shows a penchant to create melodic beauty. Surman uses diverse textures, inventive section accompaniments, tonal variation and multiple rhythmic ideas. 

If you have heard the original release from 2011 then you will recognize the highlights from the first recording-Surman's the modally driven "Mayflower," the gorgeous "Once Upon a Time" and eruptive and cacophonous "Flashpoint,"  Pauer's airy, waltz-like "Gratuliere" and Kleinschuster's kinetic "Puzzle." These live recordings all have the energy and creativity that mark this incredible ensemble brimming with excitement and vivaciousness as they follow Surman's  compositional lead into a new world of music that seems to have been influenced by what has been going on around the world. Influences like Coltrane, Tyner and Sanders, composer arrangers like Oliver Nelson and Gil Evans and even free thinkers like Dolphy and Coleman. Its a British response to what was happening in the world of jazz circa 1969 and it captures the audience response.

The new album adds some gems that are not to be missed. Besides "Beyond the Hill," "Background," " Hallo Thursday," and "Aqua Regis" all Surman compositions  my favorites are Surman's  beautiful "Where Fortune Smiles," his driving quick-paced "Jack Knife" and Wheller's modal composition "Dallab."

The individual performances are worth noting, like some impressive solos like Osborne's top notch alto sax solo on "Flashpoint." Surman's slippery soprano work "Flashpoint" is like a cobra on steroids and raises the temperature to new heights. Griffith's expressive trombone work on "Gratuliere" is just outstanding as is Alan Skidmore's airy flute work. Expressive flugelhorn work by Wheeler on "Dallab"  and  again pulling some strings on "Once Upon A Time" along with some gorgeous piano work by Pauer.  Kleinschuster's trombone on his composition "Puzzle" leaves no prisoners and Alan Jackson offers an explosive drum feature at the coda. "Jackknife" is a wonderful vehicle to hear Wheeler on flugelhorn, Giffiths on trombone and Osborne again show some real mettle on his alto. 

Not all the music is going to age well. This was an experimental time of free expression, at times free of structure, containing elements of dissonance and unfettered noise generation, often lacking melody to hang onto. It could often be exhilarating in the moment, even for the audience in situ who can be captured by the overwhelming feeling of being present and part of an act of creation. But it also can lose the passive listener who can find it hard to feel like it was being played for his inclusion, lacking the feeling of being an observing participant.  That said, this is a marvelous picture into what the creative world of British jazz was like in the late nineteen-sixties.  It was vibrant, daring and pushed the envelope of traditional norms. It was also some of Europe's  most interesting artists of that era who were willing to follow Surman's lead and perform this progressive music with verve, confidence and enthusiasm. A treasure chest of music from another era.

 

Trilogy with Scott Hamilton: a beautiful meeting in Canada on "Slow Road"

 

Trilogy with Scott Hamilton-The Slow Road-Cellar Records

The saxophonist Scott Hamilton has always been one of my favorite players. His  impeccable tone, his taste in music, and the inherent, natural swing in his delivery is a fall back to a style that can be traced back to some of his idols; Johnny Hodges, Ben Webster, Zoot Sims and Coleman Hawkins. What's not to love?

Hamilton was born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1954 so he is part of my generation. Where many of us drawn of that age were drawn to rock, fusion, hard bop, modal, free and avant-garde, Hamilton was enamored by swing. He came to New York in 1976 and was recommended to join Benny Goodman's Septet shortly thereafter by the great trumpet icon Roy Eldridge, who he had played previously with in Boston. Hamilton made his mark with Goodman and played in the US and Europe with the clarinetist on and off through 1982. Hamilton started his own his quartet in 1977 and made his debut album Scott Hamilton Is a Good Wind Who Is Blowing Us No Ill on Concord Jazz the same year. I recall hearing this saxophonist on WBGO or WRVR jazz radio back in the late seventies, and I was impressed by his sound and fluidity.

I got to see him in that time period at the now defunct jazz club at, Fat Tuesdays (190 Third Ave at 17th Street in NYC), a downstairs club that was famous for bringing in serious jazz artists to perform in that intimate venue. Needless to say I was smitten. The ease with which he was able to enrapture his audience with his sound and fluency made it clear to me that this was one special artist.

Apparently, Hamilton has had the same effect on other artists that he has collaborated with. He accompanied vocalist Rosemary Clooney for ten years. His mellifluous saxophone can also be heard on work that he did with Tony Bennett, Anita O' Day, Dave McKenna, Ruby Braff, Hank Jones, Warren Vache and Bucky Pizzareli to name just a few. I have enjoyed his saxophone deliciously playing ethnically folk-inspired music to great effect, like the album that he did with Danish artists titled Swedish Ballads...& More from 2013.

Scott Hamilton (photo credit unknown)

The most recent album, from Corey Weeds label Cellar Music Group, matches Hamilton with a Canadian jazz trio from Vancouver British Columbia called Trilogy. The album was recorded in B.C. on June 30, 2024 and released this past April titled Slow Road and Hamilton and this sympathetic trio make some beautiful music. 

Trilogy, a drum-less trio,  is comprised of pianist Miles Black, guitarist Bill Coon and upright bassist Jodi Proznick. With Trilogy's format, it is easy to see that not having a drummer driving the trio relies on Proznick's steadfast bass lines to propel the music and this talented bassist certainly does so with aplomb.

Miles Black, Jodi Proznick and Bill Coon of Trilogy (photo credit unknown)

The album is well recorded and includes nine compositions that show the diversity of the music this trio approaches. Having Hamilton's beautifully sensuous sound just adds to the groups appeal.

The opener is Proznick's "Luna," a strolling waltz that features the melodic piano of Black, the floating guitar work of Coon and Proznick's plucky bass. When Hamilton enters the music with his spare, warm, inviting sound and covers you like a warm blanket on a chilled autumn evening. These musicians are well-suited to playing with creation, easy swing and style as they dance in unison and in solo on this one. 

The album continues with "Pompton Turnpike," a rag tag, bouncy song made famous by the Charlie Barnet's Orchestra back in the nineteen forties. The group[ opens with some stride-inspired piano work by Black , some warm and tactile  guitar accompaniment by Coon, and buoyant bass work by Proznick, before Hamilton enters with his own swinging statement. If there is music that is supposed to billow up your spirits it's certainly music like this.

Antonio Carlos Jobim's tender "Luiza" is the perfect vehicle to allow Hamilton to simply sweep you away with his emotionally evoking saxophone. Black opens this one with an impressionable piano intro before Hamilton's tonally expressive tenor plays the evocative melody that plucks against the strings of your heart. Coon's guitar swells with glowing expression before Hamilton returns with one more pass at the theme that just adds a moving exclamation to the coda.

The title cut of the album "Slow Road" is a composition by the guitarist Bill Coon, who wrote the song during a residency in Italy. Coon opens the bouncy tune with repeating single note lines that is played in sync with Hamilton's subdued tenor. The saxophonist opens it up into a slow swinger with his sweet, flowing sound. Coon, Black, and Proznick all counter with their own solo verses before the tune returns to the four musicians playing the melody in unison.

Charlie Parker's "Moose the Mooche" is a fast tempo bebop classic that purportedly refers to Parker's one time drug dealer. Hamilton sits this one out, so this is a chance for the trio to show some of their chops. The three musicians play the quick lines in skillful synchronicity before they each take turns exploring the music's harmonic possibilities. While not played at blazing speed, the group carries the spirit with vigor and style.

Pianist Randy Weston is the composer of the next two offerings "Hi-Fly" and "I Thought About You." The cadenced rhythm of "Hi-Fly" offers some nice interplay opportunities for the four compatriots. Black's piano work is rich and cheerful. Hamilton's saxophone has such an organic feel and his timing is exquisite. There is a classic sound to Coon's lovely guitar work on this one as he navigates the changes with astute taste and feel. 

On "I Thought About You" opens with Proznick's resonant bass stating the melody as Coon deftly accompanies. Hamilton's restrained approach leaves lots of space and allows his horn to breathe between his expressive ideas. Black and Coon have a conversational section where they skillfully trade musical ideas.

A blast from the past that is rarely heard is Ralph Rainger and Leo Rabin's "Thanks for the Memories," The song made popular by becoming comedian Bob Hope's theme song. This slow walk down memory lane is played slowly, but Hamilton still finds some ideas to emphasize through this nostalgic ditty.

A medium tempo blues written by the pianist Miles Black titled "Blues for Fraz"  is dedicated by fellow Canadian jazz saxophonist Fraser MacPherson. A tight little gritless blues swings, but to me falls short for its lack of the authenticity and soul that is required to be part of the true blues DNA.

Slow Road has moments of sublimeness and its great to hear this talented trio  make such beautiful music with Hamilton. Now in his early seventies, the tenor saxophonist still has that burnished, appealing tone and swing that always makes seeing him play live or hearing him on record worth the price of admission.

 

Larry Goldings and his Piano Trio Live at Sam First : "I Will"

Larry Goldings and his trio : I Will: Live at Sam First: Sam First Records

The musician Larry Goldings recorded a piano trio performance when he played at the Los Angeles Club, Sam First , back in October of 2023. The Album, I Will, was released by Sam First Records on Valentine's Day February 14, 2025 and features Goldings on piano, Karl McComas-Reichl on upright bass and Christian Euan on drums. This "live" album was excellently recorded and a superb capture of Goldings at some of his most creative on piano. Careful listening of his piano work make clear that Goldings, despite his reign as one of the time's most revered player of electronic keyboards and particularly the B3 organ, is also one of the most eclectically inspired and harmonically imaginative piano minds of this era.

Larry Goldings, Karl McComas-Reichl, Christian Euman (photo credit unknown)  

Interestingly, I last heard Larry Goldings within days of his recording of this album in Los Angeles back in October of 2023. In the performance I attended at Portland's 1905 jazz club, Goldings was on organ and playing with his excellent  long-time organ trio mates Peter Bernstein on guitar and Bill Stewart on drums. The show was fantastic and for those who have an interest you can read that review by clicking here.

Goldings' has a sterling reputation as an innovative organ and keyboard master who has worked with such diverse artists as Rickie Lee Jones, Maceo Parker, James Taylor, Norah Jones, John Scofield and Steely Dan to name just a few. He developed his fascination with the organ from his additional interest in playing a walking, left-handed piano bass line, vis-à-vis his influence from the pianist Dave McKenna- with the man's facility to left-hand walking bass like no other.

I am familiar with Goldings' solo piano work from his excellent piano solo album from 2011, In My Room. Goldings' unique ability to mine such expressiveness from slightly obscure gems like Brian Wilson's beautifully reflective "In My Room," Rod Argent from the Zombie's haunting "A Rose for Emily," and even the well worn Beatles' "Here, There and Everywhere" among others are fertile material for the pianist to open up other musical revitalizing possibilities.

On I Will, Goldings has brought together another astute selection of songs that reinforce the artists eclectic taste in music. The album starts off with his own composition "Roach," which he reprised from his previous solo album In My Room. The song is a homage of sorts to the style of drummer icon Max Roach. In comparing the two versions, one can hear Goldings predominant left handed bass line that drives the song in the original recording. In the latest take, Goldings reintroduces this slightly skewed bluesy composition and opens with that groove, this time accentuated by what sounds like some creative abrasion of the cymbal rim by Euman for percussive effect. Goldings pianistic walking bas line is now reinforced by McComas-Reichl's probing upright bass and Euman's exploring percussion. The freedom of having this intuitive rhythm section carry the groove load seems to release the inventive Goldings to his own devices. He adds more dissonant surprises, adds interesting harmonic possibilities to his playing and adds rhythmic variations to spice things up. This version adds interesting embellishments by Goldings and creative accompaniment by his talented bandmates that make the set more adventurous, unpredictable and rewarding.

Goldings' chosen repertoire for this album is another peek into just how diverse this man's musical background has been, He takes Gershwin's "It Ain't Necessarily So" from the famous folk-opera "Porgy and Bess," and he and his trio use the melody almost like an artist uses a pencil sketch on empty canvas that is transformed into a colorful masterpiece. These guys have a symbiotic relationship and it is most clearly demonstrated on this particular performance. The communication is almost telepathic and the trio injects a modern perspective and some vital energy into this weathered classic. Goldings' Shearing-like block chording and his musical humor at the coda is a treat.

The Beatles' compositions, in this case a McCartney tune, "I Will", are often vehicles that Goldings uses to see what can be further crafted. On this one, the pianist almost broods over the fetching melody. He extracts meaning from the essence of the love song's message, always being there for someone. His piano bobs and weaves around the melody as his is conversationally accompanied by the buoyant bass of  McComas-Reichl. 

The repertoire continues to throw you a curve ball, this time with Mario Bausa's "Mambo Inn." Opening this one with Euman's syncopated drum work, the group creates a breezy flow that immediately brings your feet into the action as the Afro-Cuban rhythm unfolds. There is a joy in the pianist's hands and it is pure delight. Bassist  McComas-Reichl offers a plucky, facile bass solo that resonates with authority. Euman is equally rhythmically engaged in creating this musical vacation to the tropics. Grab an umbrella drink and enjoy.

"Embraceable You," another number from Gershwin, is a song that Goldings reprised from his Awareness album released in 1996. That album matched Goldings on piano with bassist Larry Grenadier and the iconic drum legend Paul Motian. On this latest take, Goldings meanders at the intro, probing, establishing  direction and determining the right time before introducing the recognizable melody. McComas-Reichl and Euman find equal time to explore the rhythmic and harmonic possibilities along with Larry, a little outside but never too far from the structure of the music. Goldings' pianistic approach is like a wellspring of variations that he creates on stage and in real time and he has the chops to pull off anything that his mind can percolate. His music has an inherently organic feel to it, and his audience at Sam First were rewarded by his unfettered imagination.

"Jasus Was A Cross Maker" is a composition by singer/songwriter Judee Sill from back in 1971. The song was inspired by Sill having read a fictionized novel about Jesus being a carpenter who built crosses that the Roman's used for crucifixions. Despite the preposterous storyline the music has an Americana feel to it with Goldings using a honky-tonk-like piano approach that delves into a gospel influenced sound to great effect. McComas-Reichl offers an inventive bass solo that seems to support the redemptive aspects of the music.

Goldings preferences on music can sometimes include his love of pop and showtime music. On Leonard Bernstein's uplifting "Somewhere" from the maestro's musical hit West Side Story is wonderfully portrayed by the trio. There is pathos and hope in this music. Goldings mines the emotional aspects of this fetching tale with some gorgeous ornamentation and dramatic chordal work in his playing.

The closing composition is a Goldings' original titled "Sing Song." The music has a repeating, simple, sing-song melody that evokes a child-like fairy tale theme quality. But Goldings is also a humorist, just ask his alter-ego "Hans Groiner," an Austrian musicologist that sometimes raises his head at some of Goldings' appearances. The approach to this music is a bit misleading. Like the master of hip humor Thelonious Monk, who used to add his tongue-in-cheek lines to songs like his "Boo Boo's Birthday" or his "Little Rootie Tootie," Goldings is equally adept at inserting humorous lines into complex musical compositions. First with the repeating, simple melody, then he slowly reveals his skills as he builds a dynamic, multi-layered composition that is anything but pedestrian. The audience loves being let in on this inside joke.

I Will is the kind of album that really engages the listener. If you spend the time to really listen, you will be rewarded on multiple levels by the magical pianist's incredible inventiveness and joy.