GA Russell Posted January 12, 2017 Report Share Posted January 12, 2017 (edited) T Theo Bleckmann voice | Shai Maestro piano | Ben Monder guitar Chris Tordini double-bass | John Hollenbeck drums Beyond being a vocalist of rare purity and daring, Theo Bleckmann is a sound painter who creates what JazzTimes has described aptly as “luminous webs” in music. The German-born New Yorker – after appearing on two ECM albums by Meredith Monk and another by Julia Hülsmann – makes his striking label debut as a leader with Elegy. This album showcases Bleckmann as a composer as much as a singer, with several instrumental pieces voiced by what he calls his “ambient” band of kindred-spirit guitarist Ben Monder, keyboardist Shai Maestro and the subtle rhythm team of Chris Tordini and John Hollenbeck. Highlights include Bleckmann’s sublime rendition of Stephen Sondheim’s “Comedy Tonight” (“tragedy tomorrow… comedy tonight”), as well as the mellifluous vocalise of “Elegy” and achingly poetic “To Be Shown to Monks at a Certain Temple.” IN CONCERT February 7 - New York, NY (Jazz Standard) February 9 - Santa Cruz, CA (Kuumbwa) February 10 - Arcata, CA (Redwood Jazz Alliance) February 11 & 12 Denver, CO (Dazzle) February 13 - Los Angeles, CA ( EDYE) March 25 – Knoxville, TN (Big Ears Festival) © 2017 ECM | ECM Records | Verve Music Group, 150 5th Ave | New York NY 10011 There is an excellent interview with Theo Bleckmann about Elegy here: https://youtu.be/nAtyLP6Gpng And there is a short video here with an excerpt from one of Theo’s songs: https://youtu.be/Wu3D06j212Q Edited January 12, 2017 by GA Russell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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