LAURENCE HOBGOOD - tesseterra
Ubuntu - UBU0019
Laurence Hobgood - piano; Jared Schonig - bass; Matthew Clohesy - drums
With the ETHEL string quartet
Laurence Hobgood has enjoyed a long and illustrious career as Kurt Elling’s pianist and musical partner, his 2015 release was recorded in the company of heavyweights John Patitucci and Kendrick Scott, and this follow up comes already garnished with accolades. There is a personal endorsement from Dr Daniel J Levitin, author of This Is Your Brain On Music, and liner notes from Robert Pinsky, America’s poet laureate, while quotes from Rumi and John Garvey embellish the cover. Hobgood is a superb pianist, as demonstrated by his hushed, beautifully paced intro and fluid improvisations on the opening track, a version of the pop evergreen Wichita Lineman. His touch is at once sensitive and assured, his harmonic imagination is fertile, and his technique comprehensive; his skill as a performer is matched by his ability to arrange for strings; Blackbird starts with an extended piece for the Ethel quartet in a kind of Hollywood Ravel style, and the strings are very present throughout and are fully integrated with the trio in creating the album’s distinctive sound. While this is all excellent as far as it goes, over the course of an entire record the impact starts to lessen; Jared Schonig and Matthew Clohesy are superb accompanists but their contributions are restrained to the extent that the emotional temperature seldom rises above lukewarm, and the choice of material - including chestnuts such as All of You and Georgia On My Mind alongside more recent pop material like Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - is familiar to the point of tiredness. Blackbird is a highlight, but the overall impression, despite the wealth of exceptional talent available, is of a very pleasant but ultimately rather inconsequential tinkling. A missed opportunity.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
Ubuntu - UBU0019
Laurence Hobgood - piano; Jared Schonig - bass; Matthew Clohesy - drums
With the ETHEL string quartet
Laurence Hobgood has enjoyed a long and illustrious career as Kurt Elling’s pianist and musical partner, his 2015 release was recorded in the company of heavyweights John Patitucci and Kendrick Scott, and this follow up comes already garnished with accolades. There is a personal endorsement from Dr Daniel J Levitin, author of This Is Your Brain On Music, and liner notes from Robert Pinsky, America’s poet laureate, while quotes from Rumi and John Garvey embellish the cover. Hobgood is a superb pianist, as demonstrated by his hushed, beautifully paced intro and fluid improvisations on the opening track, a version of the pop evergreen Wichita Lineman. His touch is at once sensitive and assured, his harmonic imagination is fertile, and his technique comprehensive; his skill as a performer is matched by his ability to arrange for strings; Blackbird starts with an extended piece for the Ethel quartet in a kind of Hollywood Ravel style, and the strings are very present throughout and are fully integrated with the trio in creating the album’s distinctive sound. While this is all excellent as far as it goes, over the course of an entire record the impact starts to lessen; Jared Schonig and Matthew Clohesy are superb accompanists but their contributions are restrained to the extent that the emotional temperature seldom rises above lukewarm, and the choice of material - including chestnuts such as All of You and Georgia On My Mind alongside more recent pop material like Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - is familiar to the point of tiredness. Blackbird is a highlight, but the overall impression, despite the wealth of exceptional talent available, is of a very pleasant but ultimately rather inconsequential tinkling. A missed opportunity.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
