May 6, 2009
Media Alert: EYRAN KATSENELENBOGEN/88 Fingers
CD Review:
Eyran Katsenelenbogen's a rare pianist, in a rare place between classical music and jazz, equally adept at both and noted for his improvisational open portal between the two musics. He's one of those rare pianists, who plays differently with the right and left hand - ambidextrous to sound and motion, as two pianists playing together. He's a distant relative of Felix Mendelssohn and Matin Buber.
Born in Isreal, trained at 5 years old by Aida Barenboim, mother and teacher of Daniel Barenboim, pianist and conductor, Eyran Katsenenelenbogen completed his education at The New England Conservatory Of Music, where he is now a member of the teaching faculty.
His new CD,"88 Fingers," his 10th release shows his remarkable repertory, ingenious command and full dynamic complicity.
His joy and passion for music will sweep you off your feet. You know it when listening to the first song "Close Enough For Love." "Those were The Days" is a complete tour de force gliding through various moods from romantic, tin pan alley, classical phrases. "Mack The Knife" is a plinky rhyme and short verse of Erroll Garner. To give a complete discussion is ridiculous for sooner than you think, Katsenelenbogen is already alighted to Dizzy Gillespie's "Groovy High."Then a soft symposium with "September Song," not a piano at Nordstrom, but a large acoustically live place with a big grand piano, in a house overlooking the Sound, or by the Bay in the Oakland Hills.
"Improvisation On A Theme By Mussorgsky" and "Improvisation On A Waltz By Chopin" is where it gets crazy and nice, where two pianist square off and attack each other lick. Only it's one man talking in two different languages, of which Katsenelenbogen is a master.
Don't expect Jack Teagarden singing "Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans. This master muralist is painting a complete panorama of the rich jazz before and the history of the Crescent City. Then a repose a pastoral reparte' of "What'll I Do" where both tentative romance survives with a masterful touch from the piano of Eyran Katsenelenbogen with "Those Were The Days" in a dramatic Kurt Weill way.
Then he effortlessly rattles off the changes to "A Night In Tunisia."
The film score from (The Summer Of '42') and "The Summer Knows" is a more soft prose, that elevates the imagination of the look and feel of the film with some bright Shostacovich dramatics.
There's careful consideration to the length of each song. "Tunisia" was two and half minutes and the love story, "forty two" is over five minutes. And it really shows a melodramatic side of Eyran Katsenelenbogen.
There are sixteen different songs on this CD. Eyran Katselenbogen delivers each one with his most profound technique, romance in vigorous blend of classical and jazz.
This should be a part of your collection. It's simply dazzling in scope and mechanics!
Dick Crockett
"The Voice" 88.7fm
4623 T Street, Suite A
Sacramento, Ca 95819-4743
Press Contact:
Jim Eigo Jazz Promo Services T: 845-986-1677 E-Mail: jazzpromo@earthlink.net
Jazz Promo East: Lorraine Tucci Sound newsoundideas@earthlink.net