 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Lynne Arriale, pianist, composer and bandleader of what Grammy Award-winning jazz critic Bob Blumenthal describes as "one of the most empathetic threesomes in jazz," is on top of her game. Her 2003 outing, Arise, reached # 17 on Billboard's jazz chart within weeks of its release, hit #1 on the national Jazz Week Radio Chart, and #1 on United Press International's annual list of Best CDs of 2003, garnering rave reviews along the way. Strong pre-release press indicates these milestones will be surpassed by Come Together. PBS will air special features on Arriale, Major city magazines - M Magazine (Milwaukee) and One Way Magazine (Los Angeles) have made her their cover stories. And more features are scheduled for Downbeat and Jazziz.. Already booked to perform Monterey Jazz Festival , Birdland "Lynne Arriale's brilliant musicianship and bandstand instincts place her among the top jazz pianists of the day," proclaimed The New York Times. UPI praised it as her" finest CD filled with the sparkling clarity that graces her music." During her Arise tour of the UK and Ireland, The Times of London wrote, "no American pianist has made quite as strong an impression over the past five years ... Lynne Arriale belongs among the poets. Her singing tone and original material make her one of the best hopes for the coming decade." And it's not just the critics who love her. At a time when the music industry is in a slump and it appears, in jazz, only jazz singers are selling, Lynne's trio is performing to sold out houses all over the world. And as Billboard has pointed out, "Arriale is a rarity among pianists these days ... commanding airplay with her trio recordings." Her music, which Jazziz magazine has described as coming from "the synaptic intersection where brain meets heart, where body meets soul," crosses demographic boundaries, captivating the imaginations of all who hear her - including the industry audiences who packed the trio's showcases at the 2004 International Association of Jazz Educators and Association of Performing Arts Presenters conferences last January. "There is nothing more important to us than connecting with the audience," says Arriale. "That is ultimately why we play." Arriale's almost constant touring schedule has earned her a loyal and diverse following throughout the US, Canada and Europe - including the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Holland, Finland, Spain, Portugal and Italy. "A singular voice as a pianist and as a leader ... a powerhouse ... Arriale's playing is haunting, gorgeous, a breeze of warm sophistication and accomplished pianism, expressive passion [and] intelligent interpretation," praised Downbeat magazine. "[She is] one of the strongest personalities of our time in jazz piano..." with a "musical sensibility [which] is astonishing," said Le Matin magazine of her Montreux Festival success. Now, with the release of her ninth CD, Come Together, and upcoming performances on PBS television throughout '04 - '05 reaching over four million viewers, she looks set to surpass herself yet again. The album, recorded with longtime band members - bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Steve Davis - is their most beautiful and deeply moving recording to date. As Blumenthal notes, this trio plays "with a shared metabolism." This is Arriale's second release for the independent label, Motéma Music, which was thrilled with the extraordinary success of her label debut, Arise. And Arriale is equally happy with Motéma. "At a time when most labels are pulling back, Motéma is doing a remarkable job developing artists and nurturing the creative process," she says. And it's working. Come Together is something of a celebration, marking the trio's 10th anniversary together. Their signature sound is that of three master musicians listening and communing as one. "When you experience life together as we do, the musical connection just naturally deepens over time," Lynne says of her long time collaboration. "We always feel new and spontaneous," she says. "Every performance is different. The music is constantly changing because of life's influences. The connection becomes highly intuitive; it's like breathing together. Whatever one of us does becomes the seed for the next idea or point of departure. We play music without boundaries, without category, no matter whether it's Monk, Bernstein, The Beatles, Ellington or originals. For us, making music is about trust. There's an energy and passion between us that the audience can feel." Adding to the power of the group's synergy is Arriale's "singer's-like" ability to connect with an audience. Motéma Music founder, Jana Herzen, noticed it the first time she saw Arriale perform at the MIDEM International Music Conference in Cannes, France, in January 2001. "Though she played the piano and not a sound came from her lips, I had the distinct impression I was listening to a singer," says Herzen, who immediately signed her to the label. Indeed, Arriale, who is adopted, recently discovered that her birth mother had been a professional jazz singer, and Arriale always sings along when she is practicing and composing. "I have found that the key to expressive playing and truly spontaneous improvisation is singing. I always sing out loud when I practice, and I sing internally when I perform," says Arriale, who began playing the piano when she was four, and has a Masters degree in classical piano performance. "It's a lifelong process to teach my fingers how to sing." It is very important to her for music to have a vocal quality and a heart connection. It is this heart connection that she delivers to her audiences time and again. Technique, on which she works extremely hard, often practicing for eight hours a day, is important only in as much as it allows Arriale the freedom and power to express real emotion. "It's no good having the notes if there's nothing behind them," she says. "In life, we can say beautiful words but the tone of our voice expresses everything about the intent and true meaning of what we are saying." And just as the best speakers carefully choose their words to convey their message, Arriale takes it as a personal challenge to convey the emotionality of a song directly to an audience. In just over ten years since Arriale won 1993's Great American Jazz Piano Competition, she has made eight increasingly acclaimed CDs. Come Together is her most personal expression to date, featuring six compelling original compositions, along with the Lennon and McCartney-penned title track, a prayer-like arrangement of the traditional Scottish folk song 'Red is the Rose' and the New Orleans musical anthem 'Iko Iko'. The title track of Arise, her own composition, was one of the most requested instrumental tracks on jazz radio in 2003. "It inspired me to write even more originals for this new CD," says Arriale. Composing truly memorable melodies is her challenge as a composer. To make it into her repertoire, an original composition has to "tag along after her and linger" in her mind, she says. But whether her own or someone else's compositions, all the songs in her repertoire have to mean something. "I love folk music from around the world," says Arriale. "It is so beautiful and earthy, so simple and real. It's what I call 'authentic music.' There's no pretense, no trying to be hip, there is just' being' and being 'real.' When we fall in love with a song, it becomes an intimate part of us," she says, "then we can be spontaneous and take the music in many different directions." The aptly named Come Together is a celebration of the love Lynne feels for her trio and the love they all feel for music and song. "Sharing an experience with someone you love intensifies everything," she says. The trio shares this intensity with audiences every time they take the stage. "Music is an international language that transcends boundaries and cultures," says Arriale, who lights up when performing before an audience. "I want to find music that transcends boundaries and reaches people everywhere." Passionate, heartfelt, haunting, deeply affecting, she unfailingly succeeds. Check out the artist's website: http://www.motema.com Track List: 1. Come Together 2. Home 3. Braziliana 4. Red is the Rose 5. Sunburst 6. Flamenco 7. Iko, Iko 8. Sea and Sand 9. Twilight Suggested CDs:Other Genres:
|