Piano Stories

 Here are two very different albums from pianists yet they share the need to tell stories through music. Most if not all of the stories are personal but, then again, for some of the us, the finest music is the mlost personal.

Elan Mehler may be best-known for his groundbreaking work with Newvelle Records as the creative head and co-producer. Mehler is also a fine pianist and has recorded 10 albums as a leader or co-leader, some released on Newvelle, others on Challenge Records, and Brownswood Records.  His newest release, "Trouble in Mind" (Sunnyside Records), is a solo recording made a month before the COVID-19 panic closed down the world in March 2020.  There's quite a story behind the album's existence (which you can read on the Bandcamp page linked below) but you should be able to tell from the first three tracks that the music was created in New Orleans. The rhythms that either permeate or are suggested on "In A Sentimental Way", "Esplanade Blues" (named for the recording studio), and "Alice's Wonderland" should lead your mind back to the work of Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton or recordings by Dr. John and Allen Toussaint.  Listen below to the Duke Ellington song and you can't help but hear in the pianist's left hand the sound of the Crescent City.

The 12-song program consists of four originals, three pieces by Duke Ellington, and one each from Richard Jones (the title track), Bill Frisell, Johnny Green & Edward Heyman, Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart, and Charles Mingus ("Alice's Wonderland", first recorded by its composer in 1959).  The album has the sound and feel of a light-night/early morning set at a piano bar; the only thing is the audience reaction and clinking of glasses.  Much of this music is based in the blues and by design it's a melancholy program. Still there are moments where the joy of music overtakes the more wistful sounds; on the title track, Mehler pushes the "trouble" out. The original "Esplanade Blues" is a sly dance while another Mehler, "There at the Heart" is suffused with love.

"Trouble in Mind" has graced my CD player for several months and I never tire of sweet rhythms, rich melodies, and fine improvisations that Elan Mehler has created 53-minute program. Sit yourself down, let the music play, and enjoy.  

Here's the album opener, "n a Sentimental Mood":

Pianist and composer Lawrence Fields may be best-known for his work with saxophonist Joe Lovano in his Quartet or with Sound Prints, the Wayne Shorter-inspired Quintet co-led by Mr. Lovano and trumpeter Dave Douglas.  The St. Louis native has also worked and recorded with trumpeter Christian Scott, drummers Terri Lyne Carrington and Jeff "Tain" Watts, and trumpeter Nicolas Payton (among many others).  One listen to Fields' debut album "To The Surface" (also the debut for the Wesseling, Germany-based Rhythm 'N' Flow Records) and you can hear why he's a great addition to any ensemble. He plays with wit, joy, power, plus he's quite melodic and quite percussive. There are a number of moments when his music brings the sound and feel of the late McCoy Tyner to mind.  Listen to the title track below, especially how the excellent rhythm section of drummer Corey Fonville (Nicolas Payton, Butcher Brown) and bassist Yasushi Nakamura (Joe Lovano, Cecile McLorin-Salvant) follow the pianist's every move and mood shift. 

It can be so much fun to hear a trio explore the ins-and-outs of material. The program opener, "Parachute" (all but one of the eight tracks are Fields' originals), take its to open up but when it does, the music has such great urgency.  The following "New Season Blues" includes a stunning unaccompanied piano solo in the middle of a rollicking performance.  I love the little nod to "When You Wish Upon a Star" in the opening and closing piano riff.  Later in the hour-long program, the trio creates a lovely ballad setting for Jules Styne/ Sammy Cahn classic "I Fall In Love Too Easily"; Nakamura's sweetly melodic bass solo opens the door to a handsome piano spot that displays Fields' generous melodicism.  

Photo: Sofia Hussein

The album closes with the hard-swinging "The Lookout"––all three musicians shine brightly throughout with creative takes on the rhythm and melody.  This is "can't sit still" creative music at its best, the powerful drums and thundering bass clearing a path for the pianist's flying fingers, the blend of muscular chords and rapid-fire single note lines shining brightly.  

"To The Surface" shines from the opening note to the closing seconds. Lawrence Fields proves with his musicianship and mature compositions that he is a fresh voice on the music scene.  With the assistance of the first-class rhythm section work of Corey Fonville and Yasushi Namamura, this recording should open many eyes and ears.  

For more information, go to www.lawrencefields.com/. To hear more and to purchase the album, go to  https://lawrencefields.bandcamp.com/album/to-the-surface.

Here's the title track: