About this product

Product Identifiers

Record LabelCD Baby, Cdb

UPC0678432622437

eBay Product ID (ePID)20046067241

Product Key Features

Release Year2010

FormatCD

GenreJazz

ArtistBobby Avey

Release TitleNew Face

Dimensions

Item Height0.40 in

Item Weight0.25 lb

Item Length5.60 in

Item Width4.90 in

Additional Product Features

Number of Tracks8

Number of Discs1

TracksLate November, In Retreat, Delusion, A New Face, Half Is Less Than Half, Influence, Insight, Time Unfolding

NotesA New Face (AUGUST 1st 2010, jayDell) is the debut CD by rising star pianist, composer and bandleader Bobby Avey whose "playing is consistently rewarding" (Ken Dryden). Consisting exclusively of Avey's original material, this release documents the astonishingly wide breadth of the 25-year-old performer's body of work. The CD features Avey with his tightly connected trio of five years featuring bassist Thomson Kneeland and drummer Jordan Perlson, as well as saxophone legend David Liebman on four tracks. Avey has worked with Liebman for many years, and earned critical acclaim for his work on Liebman's 2006 release Vienna Dialogues (ZOHO). A New Face showcases Avey as a thoughtful and unique composer who knows how to capitalize on the unique strengths of each band member, while simultaneously propelling the energy of the collective unit. Structural elements of the pieces, like meter, originate from his lithe, personal command of novel rhythmic constructions inspired by musical traditions throughout the world. These are then reinterpreted through the feel and flowing sensibility acquired through his deep understanding of jazz rhythm. Another important component, harmony, is informed by Avey's immersion in the currents of classical music, and A New Face showcases a stunning command of tonal chromaticism. "Late November" opens the record with a lilting solo piano, whose accents betray an almost imperceptible rhythmic pattern-this ambiguous tapestry is then seamlessly woven into the fabric of the collective rendering, as the original piano motif propels the band through intricate sections, explosive solos and a truly multidimensional rhythm. The hypnotic, serpentine groove at times sways between a fast, buoyant cycle of triplets and a long, highly syncopated Balkan funk-oftentimes the artists even allow this groove to inhabit the two discrete worlds at the same time. Avey improvises with supreme confidence-giving particular importance to sensitive and beautiful melody-as he surges through the rhythmic rapids provided by Perlson. Avey's panache and total control over the swirling layers of rhythm and harmony is on full display in this stellar opening to the album. Liebman augments the trio for "In Retreat", a composition invoking the harmonies of a Beethoven sonata bathed in the 20th century milieu of Bartok and Messiaen. The trio continues with "Delusion", an intense piece highlighting the band's adroit internalization and command of the Kopaniza rhythm from Bulgaria. The listener is confronted by confusing drum hits, unexpected accents, labyrinthine thematic movements, jabbing staccatos and clashing notes over a rhythm that's constantly in flux-but Avey's maturity enables a patiently-narrated improvisation to surface within the formidable aural tempest. The title track "A New Face" opens with an exquisite solo introduction by Kneeland, followed by Avey's delicate introduction of the theme. Liebman masterfully contributes his meandering, snakelike phrases to the sonic environment, which allow the group to build to Avey's burning solo. Jordan Perlson, a tirelessly creative drummer, shines as the true catalyst of the energy emitted by Avey's "Half Is Less Than Half." The introductory thematic statement is actually that of the percussionist: Perlson takes the four-note phrase played in unison with the piano and embellishes it, stretches it, and splinters the previously straightforward phrase to reveal the underlying complexity of the rhythmic engine. For the piece, Avey fuses rhythms from the Balkan region with the advanced harmonic explorations of Olivier Messiaen. The band excels in fusing the traditional asymmetrical patterns of the Bulgarian mountains with the thoroughly contemporary currents of American funk and drum-and-bass. The lightning-fast flourishes and razor-sharp superimpositions of funk over the nine-beat cycle are yet another demonstration of the band's successful integration of disparate cultural threads. Bala