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| "The Transcendental" New Music from Pianist Nicki Adams and Tenor Saxophonist Michael Eaton On their first outing for Steeplechase Records, Paraphrase (SCCD 33148), pianist Nicki Adams and saxophonist Michael Eaton introduced their duo, playing music from celebrated and genre-defining jazz composers: Coltrane, Hancock, Shorter, Monk, Hill, and Hagans. In both their arrangements and original music, they interwove elements and ideas from Western classical music, in large part through Adams's sparkling piano playing and elegant pianistic textures drawn from Romantic piano literature. Eaton and Adams are proud now to release The Transcendental, their second album for the Steeplechase LookOut Series, and the next step forward for the duo's developing mix of modern jazz and Third-Stream elements. Composer Gunther Schuller coined "Third Stream" in 1961 to reflect a genre combining "the improvisational spontaneity and rhythmic vitality of jazz with the compositional procedures and techniques acquired in Western [classical] music". On The Transcendental, Adams and Eaton similarly look to classical inspirations, finding them in impressionist harmonic color, twelve tone abstraction, and minimalist rhythmic repetition. Their signature emerges in full force throughout the titular "Transcendental". Based on the painting of the same name by Richard Pousette-Dart, it flows through a series of musical episodes combining carefully crafted melodic serialism with open improvisations. Adams cites early 20th-century Eastern European composers Bartók and Khachaturian as influences on the harmonic language of "Myshkin" and "Crying Out in the Wilderness." Echoing gospel and blues phrasing, the saxophone sings through the piano textures, embracing spiritual undertones. Minimalism makes its mark on Eaton's "Intrinsic Value" and "The Capitalinian", pitting saxophone and piano against each other in pulsating polyrhythmic and mixed meter atmospheres. Fitting for their environmental emphasis, these pieces contain multiple musical territories in one. Adams and Eaton also delve once again into music from a jazz master, this time selecting Joe Henderson. They reimagine Henderson's pensive "Black Narcissus" through the serene but mercurial mood of Ravel's piano work, "Ondine". "Afrocentric" recasts the original charging and buoyant Afro-latin tune into a melancholy ballad, and Adams deploys clever displacements of metric emphasis on the classic jazz proving ground, "Inner Urge". The Transcendental continues from where Paraphrase left off, a second chapter portraying a thoughtful and musical duo in the process of developing its voice, imagining still closer integrations of jazz and classical music to come. About Michael Eaton Michael Eaton is an NYC-based saxophonist, composer, and educator. He embraces a progressive and holistic vision of jazz but reaches for a personal outlook with an eye towards future possibilities. Michael's Individuation Quartet recorded two albums for the Destiny Records label: Individuation (2014) with NEA Jazz Master David Liebman and Dialogical (2019) with guitarist Lionel Loueke. Individuation's third studio outing, The Phenomenal, will be released in May 2024 and features Dave Scott and Tim Hagans on trumpets plus Judi Silvano on voice. His free jazz + groove ensemble Tenor Triage, with saxophonists James Brandon Lewis and Sean Sonderegger along with alumni of Ornette Coleman, Brad Jones and G. Calvin Weston, released Tenor Triage (2019) on Ropeadope Records. Eaton can also be heard on Doyle Bramhall II's Rich Man (Concord Records, 2016); alto sax on Adam Minkoff's rock octet version of Igor Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, released on CD as Til The End My Dear: Arrangements of Stravinsky; and flute for the Progressive Bass Playbook from Kurt Morgan (Dweezil Zappa). About Nicki Adams Nicki Adams is a New York-based composer and pianist. He has worked with renowned artists including Billy Hart, Francisco Mela, Kassa Overall, and Corey Wilcox and appeared on NPR's Soundcheck and Jazz at Lincoln Center's Rose Theatre. Playing for ballet classes by day and gigging by night, Nicki absorbed the influences of classical, jazz, and contemporary soul into his pianism. His work reflects his passion for craft and innovation. A Steeplechase recording artist, Adams has released six albums as a leader; three with his own band GADADU, and three in the duo context with Michael Eaton and his brother Patrick. He was a finalist in the inaugural Bob Ravenscroft international jazz piano competition (2022) and his works have appeared in film and radio throughout the world, receiving nominations for international awards. Nicki has scored several feature films, documentaries and shorts, most recently A Wonderful Way with Dragons, starring Violet McGraw, directed by Delfine Paolini. His first jazz album with Patrick Adams, Lynx, was released on Sunnyside Records January 2021 to critical acclaim, and his Prism Trio as well as the Adams Quartet are slated for national tours in 2023-2024. write your comments about the article :: © 2024 Jazz News :: home page |