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Jonathan Kreisberg: ONE
ByStill, it's a ballsy move to turn to that most exposed of contextsthe solo recitaland to do so without the looping and overdubbing so often used to allow others access to more expansive sound worlds. ONE covers considerable territory with nothing more than one man, one guitar and, on a couple tracks, some effects to broaden Kreisberg's palette.
It's hard not to think of seminal solo guitar innovator Joe Pass on Kreisberg's bright take on Juan Tizol's "Caravan," and a set-defining, similarly acoustic look at saxophonist Wayne Shorter's "E.S.P." that combines high-velocity, cascading phrases with ethereal abstractions, only to resolve into an unexpectedly Latin-esque main section. Kreisberg's language is, however, more modernistic, and hereand throughout the albumKreisberg creates an impression of multiple guitarists by combining instrumental mastery with sleight-of-hand, effortlessly moving between bass, chordal and melodic roles to simultaneously imply all three.
Kreisberg resorts to a clean, warm, hollowbody electric tone on Baden Powell/Vinicius De Moraes's classic "Canto De Ossanha"one of a number of ONE's covers that have been recorded almost ad nauseum, but which Kreisberg makes his own through distinctive arrangements and melodic invention. Kreisberg nails Leonard Cohen's often-covered "Hallelujah," combining respect and irreverence as, in an extended coda, he layers dissonances that, nevertheless, remain completely in contextCohen's melody lines are largely intact but moved a half step or three away from the tune's harmonic center, their tension finally resolved as Kreisberg returns to consonance to finish the tune with some impressive finger-picking.
Kreisberg kicks in more overt effects on ONE's two originals. On the serpentine "Without Shadow," his guitar sounds more like an organ," while on the dark- hued "Escape From Lower Formant Shift," Kreisberg's heavily overdriven tone harkens back to his pre-jazz days. But in a set that also includes other chestnuts like "Skylark" and "Summertime," Kreisberg's originals serve notice of his broader concerns.
Kreisberg may love standards like "Tenderly" and "My Favorite Things," but what he does with them is never less than thoroughly contemporary. ONE may be 46 minutes of one man, one guitar, but in Kreisberg's hands it becomes a master class in just how unlimited that seemingly reductionist context can be. Truly solo jazz guitar recordings are few and far between, but with ONE, Kreisberg not only pays homage to past masters like Pass, George Van Eps and Lenny Breau, he makes clear that here, in the new millennium, he's unequivocally worthy of being mentioned in the same breath.
Track Listing
Canto de Ossanha; Summertime; Without a Shadow; Skylark; Caravan; Tenderly; My Favorite Things; Hallelujah; E.S.P.; I Thought About You; Escape from Lower Formant Shift.
Personnel
Jonathan Kreisberg
guitarJonathan Kreisberg: guitar.
Album information
Title: ONE | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: New for Now Music
Comments
About Jonathan Kreisberg
Instrument: Guitar
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