Jazz Pick of the Week, Eric Reed; Tad Weed / LA Weekly
Bud Powell, Al Haig, Hank Jones, Wynton Kelly, Sonny Clark, Bill Evans, Bobby Timmons, Horace Silver, McCoy Tyner and Herbie Hancock are 10 singular artists who, from the early '40s through the early '60s, established the criteria on which excellence in the realm of non-commercial, mainstream jazz piano is based. These musicians could turn dots on paper into songs of splendor, juxtapose notes in chords that would knock you flat with their grace, and whammy and swing with a heated gusto that would fill a dark room with warm light. And while for a time there seemed to be a few young talents ready, or able, to tackle the musical Himalayas where these masters resided - the popularity of jazz/fusion found many quality players choosing the commercial spectrum to display their wares - in the last few years a number of healthy prospects have arrived to climb the heights. Mulgrew Miller, Renee Rosnes, Benny Green, Donald and James Williams in the East and Billy Childs, Eric Reed and Tad Weed in our climes are among the players who, drawing on the giants for their inspiration, choose to make acoustic jazz their artistic home. These musicians refuse to simply copy the magic of the past, instead investing their essays with individual words and phrases to concoct unique dialects of a central, core language. Weed, who has worked with Dick Berk's Jazz Adoption Agency, among many other bands, and Reed, who has been heard with Benny Carter, are two local standouts. Their work is characterized by rich, reverberating tones, crisp execution and a penchant for pulsing lines packed with memorable notes. They are the kinds of players who, with listener support and experience on the bandstand, could possibly grow into the Bud Powell's, Sonny Clarks and Bill Evanses of tomorrow.
Zan Stewart