Album: Longitude *

Song Title

Time

Slightly Bluesy

Here's That Rainy Day

Longitude

Bizarre, Vous Avez Dit?

Tea for Two

Solaltitude

Short Cuts

Last Time I Saw Paris, The

Monostome

10)

Navigation

Album: Longitude *

Song Title

Time

Slightly Bluesy

Here's That Rainy Day

Longitude

Bizarre, Vous Avez Dit?

Tea for Two

Solaltitude

Short Cuts

Last Time I Saw Paris, The

Monostome

10)

Navigation

Performer Notes

Personnel: Martial Solal (piano); Fran‡ois Moutin (upright bass); Louis Moutin (drums).
Liner Note Author: Dan Morgenstern.
Recording information: 04/04/2007-04/06/2007.
Eighty years old at the time of these 2007 sessions, Martial Solal is still full of surprises, with technique and wit to spare at the keyboard. Joined by his longtime rhythm section, bassist Fran‡ois Moutin and drummer Louis Moutin, the pianist digs into standards but reconstructs them into almost new compositions, adding intricate detours and hinting at the themes only briefly, especially in his wild romp through "Here's That Rainy Day," and the odd but hilarious entrance into the old warhorse "Tea for Two." His seven original works are just as fascinating: "Solaltitude" conveys loneliness with an eerie air; "Short Cuts" and "Navigation" venture into avant-garde jazz territory in a tense setting, though with a touch of humor as well. Yet it is hard to top Solal's "Slightly Bluesy," a tense, explosive opener that is the best overall showcase for his outstanding trio. ~ Ken Dryden

Professional Reviews

Down Beat (p.62) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "A mater of concision, Solal opens with one of seven originals, 'Slightly Bluesy,' which examines a three-note blues phrase from several angles....The music is immensely satisfying and begs to be heard again and again."

JazzTimes (p.112) - "The pianist's 'Longitude' is very free, with a dazzling variety of textures. The dark-tinged 'Monostome,' another sizzling uptempo cut on the CD, possessing an inexorable momentum -- a tour de force by the trio."