Michael Ullman
“One of the great things about improvisation is that it teaches you the importance of the moment and how to live in that moment and place importance on this life and making this life better.”
The first part of the evening worked: Robert Pinsky was a good enough actor, his poetry was sufficiently transparent, and Vijay Iyer proved to be a brilliant accompanist.
The point of the Spring Quartet, one assumes, is to showcase its four multi-talented members, particularly their talents as composers.
The Matt Wilson Quartet prides itself on variety: the band can play ersatz Indian music, free jazz, and funky rhythm and blues, as well as an occasional touching ballad.
Amongst the acoustic live sessions, listeners should be delighted with the Chick Corea-Herbie Hancock duets.
One doesn’t come away from a Wayne Shorter Quartet performance merely raving about individual accomplishments: the set on Sunday night never felt like just a compelling sequence of solos.
Ralph Alessi’s compositions are flexible rather than tightly organized, yet their initial statements are strong enough to dominate even the freest group improvisations that follow.
Leon Fleisher was part of an outburst of great North American pianists. Many were ill-fated, but, as this commanding box set proves, Fleisher stayed the course.
Arts Commentary: The Orchestra Gap — Europe vs. the US