Ran Blake & Frank Carlberg: Gray Moon

  I’ve never been fond of two piano situations, but the gorgeous Gray Moon, by the duo of Ran Blake & Frank Carlberg reminds me that it’s really not the instruments that matter, it’s the creative minds that manipulate them. Beautifully recorded in the thousand-seat Jordan Hall at the New England Conservatory (where Blake was the founding chair of their Contemporary Improvisation department from 1972 through 2005, and continues to teach full-time), this hour-plus recital issued on Carlberg’s Red Piano Records covers plenty of ground. The pair takes on music by composers as varied as Thelonious Monk (the slowest version of ‘Round Midnight you’re likely to encounter), Billy Strayhorn (a playful Take the ‘A’ Train), Mikis Theodorakis (the opening Vradiazi, a Blake favorite), George Russell (a relaxed Stratusphunk), and Vincent Youmans (a delightful Tea For Two). There are also explorations of several Blake originals, including Gunther’s Magic Row, delicately shaped by the two pianists, and Short Life of Barbara Monk, a musical meditation that first appeared as the title track of Blake’s 1986 Soul Note album, and has been revisited by him periodically over the years in several different contexts. Remarkably, Blake and Carlberg almost never get in one another’s way, and the entire session has the feeling of two very close friends in a distinctively focused conversation. The pair writes of their “attempt to bring disparate sources together forming a unified whole, guided by a shared aesthetic ...” They’ve succeeded most admirably with this thoroughly enjoyable program. Highly recommended. 

Red Piano RPR 14599-4440; Ran Blake, Frank Carlberg (p); Boston, MA, July 5, 2016; Vradiazi/ Bebopper/ El Cant Dels Ocells/ Take the “A” Train/ Pinky/ Dr. Mabuse/ ‘Round Midnight/ Gunther’s Magic Row/ Stratusphunk/ Wish I Could Talk to You Baby/ Vanguard/ Memphis/ No More/ Tea For Two/ Short Life of Barbara Monk/ Mood Indigo; 62:49. www.redpianorecords.com 

Noah Preminger & Frank Carlberg: Whispers and Cries

The tenor saxophone and piano duo of Noah Preminger & Frank Carlberg performs ten well-traveled standards and jazz compositions (plus one Civil War-era traditional song) on the luminous Whispers and Cries. From the beginning, with their version of the ever-beautiful Gershwin melody of Someone to Watch Over Me, the pair digs deeply into their material and emerges with over a hour of gorgeous music that will touch even the hardest of hearts. Recorded in Boston’s Jordan Hall, an acoustically resonant concert space at the New England Conservatory, Carlberg and Preminger seem to revel in their astute interactions and far-ranging improvisations. While I hate to pick favorites when every piece is imbued with such delicate charm, I’ll mention the duo’s tender dissection of Monk’s Reflections and their playful stroll through These Foolish Things as just two of the album’s many successes. In a brief liner note, Preminger asks “What is better than creating music with a like-minded friend in such a context?” with the implication that nothing could be better. After thoroughly enjoying every minute of Whispers and Cries, I’m inclined to agree with him. Strongly recommended.
Red Piano RPR 14599-4431; Noah Preminger (ts) Frank Carlberg (p); Boston, MA, July 5-6, 2017; Someone to Watch Over Me/ Take the A Train/ Embraceable You/ Reflections/ The Meaning of the Blues/ These Foolish Things/ Try a Little Tenderness/ Aura Lee/ Tea For Two/ I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face; 67:35. redpianorecords.com