Chicago Piano Solo

Chicago Piano Solo
Live album by
Irène Schweizer
Released2001
RecordedAugust 16, 2000
VenueThe Empty Bottle, Chicago
GenreFree Jazz
LabelIntakt Records
CD 065
ProducerIntakt Records, Irène Schweizer

Chicago Piano Solo is a live solo piano album by Irène Schweizer. It was recorded at The Empty Bottle in Chicago in August 2000, and was released in 2001 by Intakt Records.[1][2][3]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz[5]
Tom Hull – on the WebB+[6]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz[7]

In a review for AllMusic, Steve Loewy wrote: "Another strong effort from Irène Schweizer... By this stage in her career, the pianist is able to stamp her muscular, rhythmic style on a range of influences. You can hear touches of stride, swing, bop, and world jazz, all superimposed by Schweizer's freestyle postmodern interpretations. Whether she performs inside the body of the instrument... or simply plies a percussive repetitiveness... there are original, enlightening delights throughout... An important contribution to her already impressive discography, this recording should help to further cement Irène Schweizer's reputation as one of the most important piano improvisers of her time."[4]

The authors of the Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings awarded the album 4 stars, and stated: "The excellent sound... highlights the pianist's impeccable touch, the evenness of her attack in high-velocity sequences, and the absolute crispness (and decision) in the way she gets from one phrase to another... the logic of her playing is rare and seemingly invincible: there's nothing here which doesn't seem to fit or which stands as superfluous... another great one from the modest Swiss giant."[5]

Alan Jones of One Final Note commented: "Schweizer is a powerful force in creative music, and she never seems to feel the need to reinvent herself. Her compositions have a high level of staying power. On this record, ideas flourish in an equilibrium set by her choice of material, both notated and improvised."[8]

JazzWord's Ken Waxman called the album an "exceptional production," and noted that it is "the perfect disc to put on when dealing with misguided friends who insist that so-called avant- jazz doesn’t swing."[9]

Track listing

Track 4 by Don Cherry. Remaining tracks by Irène Schweizer.

  1. "So Oder So" – 5:07
  2. "To The Bottle" – 4:22
  3. "Heilige Johanna (For B. B.)" – 9:16
  4. "Togetherness One (First Movement)" – 4:41
  5. "Stringfever" – 6:51
  6. "Circle" – 7:57
  7. "Hüben Ohne Drüben" – 2:57
  8. "Rag" – 5:27
  9. "Roots" – 3:56

Personnel

References

  1. ^ "Irène Schweizer: Chicago Piano Solo". Jazz Music Archives. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  2. ^ "Irène Schweizer discography". JazzLists. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  3. ^ "Irène Schweizer: Intakt Records" (PDF). Intakt Records. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Loewy, Steve. "Irène Schweizer: Chicago Piano Solo". AllMusic. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2006). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. Penguin Books. p. 1164.
  6. ^ Hull, Tom. "Grade List: Irene Schweizer". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  7. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2004). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz. Virgin Books. p. 772.
  8. ^ Jones, Alan (January 2002). "Irène Schweizer: Chicago Piano Solo". One Final Note. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  9. ^ Waxman, Ken (October 22, 2001). "Irène Schweizer". JazzWord. Retrieved April 5, 2023.