Leaves of Grass
finds pianist
Fred Hersch
and a stellar ensemble of musicians performing
Walt Whitman
's classic poetry to music.
Hersch
has long displayed an organic mix of
Keith Jarrett
's blissed-out focus,
Bill Evans
' epic patience, and
Tommy Flanagan
's straight-ahead sense of swing. Combine all that with a deft
post-bop
harmonicism, classically trained technique, and finally the epic poetry of
and you get this gorgeously cerebral album. Interestingly,
has apple picked from various parts of
, only including certain parts that truly spoke to him. The result is a semi-
classical
-sounding oratorio that makes room for
spoken word
sections, sections done in vocalized song, and outright
improvisation
. Giving life to
Whitman
's actual words are singers
Kurt Elling
and
Kate McGarry
, who instill each phrase with precision and eloquence. Similarly,
's backing ensemble, including trumpeter
Ralph Alessi
, tenor saxophonist
Tony Malaby
, trombonist
Mike Christianson
, clarinetist
Bruce Williamson
, cellist
Erik Friedlander
, bassist
Drew Gress
, and drummer
John Hollenbeck
, helps deliver an atmospheric and nuanced backdrop for
's poetry.
's
will certainly not be to everyone's taste --
poetry
jazz
rarely are -- however, as an exercise in combining the two mediums,
has not only succeeded, but also created one of the best albums of his career. ~ Matt Collar