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MUSIC View So Tender: Wonder Revisited, Vol. 2 |
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ON THE CHARTS Week of July 15, 2008: Week of July 24, 2008: Week of July 31, 2008: Week of July 28, 2008: Week of July 31, 2008: Week of August 4, 2008 Week of August 7, 2008 Week of August 11, 2008 Week of August 21, 2008: Week of August 28, 2008: Week of August 28, 2008: Week of August 28, 2008: Week of September 16, 2008: Week of September 22, 2008: Week of September 29, 2008: |
View So Tender: Wonder Revisited, Cryin' Through the Night Purchase or hear sound clips
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REVIEWS Track; I somehow missed the boat on Stevie Wonder back in his day. The explanation?
Rock snobbery. Stevie Wonder did not sound like Black Sabbath and Bachman
Turner Overdrive. It seems almost impossible that my youthful ears would
not have enjoyed the shifting chord sequences and winding melodies that
spill out of "Contusion," but I never gave it a chance. Lucky
for us that pianist Joe Gilman has never been so narrow-minded. Gilman's
swift runs linking the chords together bring out the hidden charms latent
in Wonder's original construct. The trio blisters through Stevie's musical
contours with an infectious enthusiasm that makes me Wonder how I could
have ever been so obstinate. Volume 31/Number 282 JOE GILMAN TRIO/View So Tender-Wonder Revisited V. 2: If the original
Ramsey Lewis Trio had stayed together to see Stevie Wonder's 70s heyday,
you can almost imagine their record company telling them to sit down and
make a record that probably would have sounded just like this. Powered
by a delightfully swinging, classy jazz piano trio, this crew has their
eye on the ball, their finger on the pulse and has a knack for merging
two modes that reach back 40 years making it all sound right in the moment.
A Stevie Wonder tribute might not be the hippest idea floating around
right now but this set makes you glad someone thought of it. Check it
out. Dick Metcalf, aka Rotcod Zzaj The Joe Gilman Trio - VIEW SO TENDER- WONDER REVISITED, Vol. 2: If you hadn't guessed by now, this CD explores the very jazz-friendly music of Stevie Wonder... it's odd to hear a trio doing this, when I'm so used to Wonder's music with far more instrumentation, but Gilman's keyboards, bass by Joe Sanders & drums from Justin Brown, reinterpret Wonder's tunes to the point that you'll wonder why Stevie didn't do them this way in the first place. Of course, we all know the answer... "non-jazzheads" wouldn't have comprehended it, & sales would have been low... what Joe's fantastic creativity & talent does prove, however, is that Mr. Wonder was/is a master composer! If it's "move" you want, you'll find my favorite track, "Another Star" to your liking... if, on the other hand, you want something that sounds more "Wonder-ous", you'll probably pick "Knocks Me off My Feet". All 10 tracks pass on the sense of joy that Stevie has always had in his music, though, so it's an album well worth having & certainly merits our HIGHLY RECOMMENDED rating. Get more information at www.joegilman.com/ or watch Joe & the trio playing SIR DUKE (YOUTUBE). ~ Rotcod Zzaj http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/news.php?viewStory=62555 View So Tender: Wonder Revisited (Capri) is the second volume that pianist Joe Gilman and his trio have devoted to exploring the music of Stevie Wonder. While bassist Joe Sanders and drummer Justin Brown faithfully deliver and embellish the textures and structures of pieces like "Knocks Me Off My Feet," "Bird of Beauty," "Don't Know Why I Love You" and "Cryin' Through The Night," Gilman delivers a series of spiraling, expressive solos that embrace the original Wonder melodies before heading off into alternative, intriguing directions. These pieces are long enough (all between five and seven minutes) for the trio to both fully spotlight Wonder's music and put their own mark on each number. Hopefully Gilman and company will issue a third release in the series, because they show that Wonder's compositions certainly present ample challenges for 21st century improvisers. By: Ron Wynn, rwynn@nashvillecitypaper.com Posted: Thursday, September 4, 2008 12:19 am CD Title: View So Tender: Wonder Revisited, Volume Two Review: The star-crossed harmonies in "Knocks Me Off My Feet" are
malleable as the bopping bass notes are clear and concise, shooting straight
arrows in the melodic lines, while the piano keys dazzle and prance happily.
The harmonies create lively jamborees through "Cryin' Through the
Night" and "Whereabouts," while trailing down to a slowly
fluid, lounging drift along "You and I." The avant cuts of "Contusion"
have a springy pounce as the rhythm section zooms through the entangling
vines of piano keys. The breezy gusts and trumped up overtones of "Bird
of Beauty" have a Latin zest and tightly rung flashing keys that
spice up the tune. The perched piano keys in "Easy Goin' Evenin'"
are eloquent and beautifully finessed, though Gilman picks up speed in
"Another Star" producing a snappy tempo and herds of furling
spins that feel like they are moving over hot-coals. The trio displays
effective diplomacy in the leisurely gait of "Don't Know Why I Love
You," and the soothing lines of "As If You Read My Mind,"
shows their talent for acquiescing to each other's parts. The trio's arrangements are miles away from the original version of these songs made by Stevie Wonder, but they show that applying jazz-inspired treatments to pop tunes produces invigorating emulsions, which make the newly-formed melodies sonically appealing and aurally comfortable. Additionally, the trio has made two records dedicated to the music of Dave Brubeck, which applied classic jazz tones to edgy, experimental material. Gilman has been an educator and a live performer who has played with the likes of Bobby Hutcherson, Chris Botti, and many others. He also plays on occasion with the Sacramento-area group Capital Jazz Project. Gilman seems to be on a mission to show jazz music's history through the music of his present CDs. He never disconnects himself from the past, but he never completely lives in its nostalgia. Picks for September 2008 THE JOE GILMAN TRIO VIEW SO TENDER: WONDER REVISITED Capri Records This is Volume Two, a jazz modernist view of the music of Stevie Wonder by the Joe Gilman trio. With a bright and talented rhythm section of Joe Sanders, bass and Justin Brown, drums, who Joe Gilman nurtured at The Brubeck Institute at Pacific University and who are now forging their own careers in New York City. "View So Tender" is so important a view in all their careers. Dr Joe Gilman is a full time professor of music, American River College in Sacramento and winner of the 2004 Great American Jazz Piano competition in Jacksonville Florida. Gilman also teaches jazz improvisation and that's why this cd is such a wonder, if you'll excuse the expression. Most important, Gilman knows the value in the adaptability of pop to modern jazz and Stevie Wonder's music is very adaptable. And you'll know in the trio's interpretation of the funky, bright "Cryin' Through The Night," the memorable ballad, "You And I, "Contusion," the almost Gershwin, "Bird Of Beauty" the very swinging up tempo, "Another Star," a version that Oscar Peterson would enjoy. Gilman creates a regal quality with his dynamic almost classical interpretation of "Don't Know Why I Love You." "As if You Read My Mind" has a subtle distinctive blue line to it. Joe Gilman is a well schooled jazz musician whose paid dues over the years and we in Sacramento as the rest of you on the line are able able to experience his abilities through his recent cd's on Brubeck and Steve Wonder. He's been very influential to many young student musicians at American River College and the Brubeck Institute. You'll note his enthusiastic and exceptional interpretation of Stevie Wonders prolific music catalog, in Wonder Revisited, Volume Two as well. Dick Crockett Joe Gilman - Wonder Revisited 3/4 O's Notes: Pianist Joe Gilman teams up with Joe Sanders (b) and Justin Brown (d) to tackle some of the genius of Stevie Wonder. Joe's arrangements are very jazzy while retaining Stevie's recipes and adding some excellent improvisation. That creativity comes from all three musicians especially on "Cryin' Through The Night". We also liked "Whereabouts". We wish he'd done more of our favorite Wonder hits but Stevie has so many hits, satisfying everyone will always be a challenge. The approach is solid and execution flawless. Gilman succeeds in marrying R&B with traditional jazz in a way that appeals to a wide audience. -- Four stars from the Skanner which circulates in Portland and Seattle. http://www.theskanner.com/index.php?action=artd&artid=7755 "VIEW SO TENDER: WONDER REVISITED" Gillman applies his creative juices to a jazz interpretation of some of Stevie Wonder's pop library. It's amazing how well they fit in the jazz genre. Gilman is backed by young musicians, bassist Joe Sanders and drummer Justin Brown. Many jazz fans are not likely to remember Wonder's tunes as he performed them but they should recognize Gilman's chops and those of Sanders, his bassist. Some of the tunes include "Cryin' Through The Night," "Don't Know Why I Love You," "You and I," "Bird of Beauty," and more. Joe Gilman is a young and experienced jazz pianist whose brilliance is unquestioned, and whose taste level is refined within the modern mainstream progressive aesthetic. While never a chart topper of critic's darling, he in fact should be, based on his sheer talent and ability to craft new shapes and sounds out of established pop or jazz material. This second volume of modifications on the music of Stevie Wonder continues Gilman's path of self-discovery and intrigue, turning 14K tunes into solid gold. What distinguishes these alterations is their utter departure from the original melodies, as Gilman makes them his own in no uncertain terms. The two most famous tunes are "You & I" and "Another Star," the former a relatively recognizable deeply romantic ballad, and the latter an unexpected fleet and dynamic hard bop version à la McCoy Tyner. Gilman loves to employ tricky meter switch-ups, in tiptoe time from 7/8 to 5/4 on "Whereabouts," shifting complex and modern 5/4 to simplified and breezy 6/8 during "Knocks Me Off My Feet," and doling out large portions of free time, quirky and playful chunks of light and heavy rhythm changes on the hard bop based "Contusion." Gilman uses bouncy, quaint, and swinging chords opposite the response of bassist Joe Sanders on "Cryin' Through the Night," employs a similar reverberation in reverent, restrained, and heavier chord definitions or contours during "Easy Goin' Evening," and straightens the course during a samba infused "Bird of Beauty." Drummer Justin Brown is up to the task on all of these adaptations, steadily navigating the cleverest rhythms during the long spirit song "Don't Know Why I Love You," and establishing a contemporary loping bluesy pace à la Vernell Fournier of Ahmad Jamal's bands for "As If You Read My Mind." This is a solid effort that proudly stands alongside the first volume of Gilman's previous tribute to Motown's pop icon, as well as the pianist's 2003 tribute to Dave Brubeck. It is also one of the better jazz recordings of 2008, well worth your while whether you are a piano fan, neo-bop lover, or enjoy your pop music with an energized, direct, straight-ahead infusion. by Michael G. Nastos |
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