Σάββατο 5 Νοεμβρίου 2022
TED KOOSHIAN το “Hubub!” είναι ένας πολύ σημαντικός νέος τζαζ δίσκος
TED KOOSHIAN’s “Hubub!” is a very important new jazz record. Ted Kooshian
is an American jazz composer, pianist and keyboardist, with a bit of a history now,
since he has been on the scene since the 80s, and he has been recording since the
mid 90s. As a session musician, Ted Kooshian has participated in several albums
(being a member of the Ed Palermo Big Band), but his personal discography
begins in 2004, and “Hubub!” [Summit Records, 2022] is his fifth album in 18
years.
In addition to being an outstanding pianist, Kooshian is also a very good composer,
and this is proven by the tracks on “Hubub!” (ten of the eleven are his, as there is
also a version of “Somewhere” by Leonard Bernstein), one more beautiful than the
other.
Having something “old” as a composer, with the swinging and groovy feeling
dominating even when his compositions develop slowly, or slower anyway,
Kooshian impresses almost from the beginning with the 9-minute long “Wandelen”
(his second track), which has a pleading gospel touch, and is characterized by the
excellent trumpet solo (John Bailey) and the heavy drumming (Greg Joseph), with
the piano playing rhythmically.
Ted Kooshian proves how worthy a soloist he is in the very next track, “Sparkplug
– She came to play”, where his piano introduction properly prepares us for
excellent hard bop.
Composing not only for himself, but for his entire band, which is a quintet (Ted
Kooshian piano, keyboards, John Bailey trumpet, flugelhorn, Jeff Lederer tenor
sax, Dick Sarpola bass, Greg Joseph drums – there are extra musicians in voice,
violin, cello and percussion), Kooshian constantly delivers dynamic tracks, with
impressive contributions from all instruments, such as for example the open drum
solo in “Schiermonnikoog”, an amazing blues, performed with tremendous energy
(and with a solo that sticks you to the wall by Lederer on tenor).
And of course the influences on Kooshian’s tracks are many and varied, as on the
very fast “Tornetto”, with the Miles-esque trumpet solo from Bailey and the
generally elusive rhythm section creating a platform upon which wonders can be
created.