Jessica Williams - Live At Yoshi's, Vol.1 (2004)

Posted By : stfine | Date : 13 Jun 2011 23:15:15 | Comments : 3 |

Jessica Williams - Live At Yoshi's, Vol.1 (2004)
EAC rip | FLAC image + cue + log + scans / MP3 320 kbps | 01:10:56 | 429 MB / 167 MB (3% rec.)
Piano Jazz, Contemporary Jazz | Label: Max Jazz Records (USA), MXJ210

Jessica Williams' been part of the jazz music scene for some 30 years, and has been nominated for a couple of Grammy Awards, and yet she's to be discovered by a lot of serious jazz listeners. If you are not familiar with her, you can't find a better introduction than Yoshi's. This recording runs the gamut from dazzling creativity to poetic beauty.

“

Jessica Williams is a very gifted pianist who combines great technical proficiency with profound musicality. By turns dramatic, lyrical, and meditative, her playing contains echoes of such predecessors as Waller, Garner, Garland, Monk, and Evans (to name just a few), yet her sound is distinctively her own and decidedly fresh and modern. As an improviser she is boundlessly creative and never seems less than fully engaged and "in the moment"; not only does she seem to be able to play anything that occurs to her, but what occurs to her is always interesting and often arrestingly beautiful. The two volumes of "Live at Yoshi's" present her at her best, and in the company of two skillful collaborators whose style complements hers quite effectively. The song selection strikes a nice balance, with a good mix of standards, works by other jazz musicians, and Williams's own lovely and inventive compositions. The sound is also exceptionally good; while the piano is perhaps a shade brighter than would be ideal, the recording captures the subtleties of the performances with impressive clarity and detail. Either volume would be a fine introduction to a musician who deserves to be much better known than she is. ~Buddy Bolden

”

Tracklist (Amazon samples)

1. I'm Confessin' (That I Love You) – Dougherty [07:21]
2. Say It (Over And Over Again) – Loesser, McHugh [06:20]
3. You Say You Care – Robin, Styne [07:01]
4. Tutu's Promise – Jessica Williams [09:30]
5. Heather – Billy Cobham [06:29]
6. Alone Together – Dietz, Schwartz [11:26]
7. Poem In G Minor – Jessica Williams [08:33]
8. I Want To Talk About You – Eckstine, Anne-Rachel [06:11]
9. Mysterioso – Monk [08:05]

Total time 01:10:56

Personnel:
Jessica Williams - Piano
Ray Drummond - Bass
Victor Lewis - Drums

Recording information: Yoshi's, Jack London Square, Oakland, CA (July 9-10, 2003).