Lynne Arriale

The Sunday Times – London

“The Lynne Arriale Trio is putting the heart back into jazz” — The Sunday Times (London)

New York Times

“Lynne Arriale’s brilliant musicianship and bandstand instincts place her among the top jazz pianists of the day.” — The New York Times

Excerpts from Downbeat

4 Stars

Over the last 15 years, Lynne Arriale has made a case for herself as a top-rank jazz pianist through her recordings.  If any doubt existed that she can run with the big boys, this release dispels it.  She stands toe-to-toe with trumpeter Randy Brecker in a stunning and affirmative collaboration.  Their rapport is lucid, and their spontaneous exchanges often offer jewels of invention and exchange.

Sting’s “Wrapped Around Your Finger” crackles with passion and dynamism, without resorting to exhibitionism.  In deference to the piano, Brecker might not play forte, but holds nothing back.  He has a heartbreakingly beautiful flugelhorn feature on Arriale’s elegiac “Longing.”  His lyricism is wistful yet aching, real holding-back-the-tears stuff.

Few pianists have such a spectrum of dynamics at their disposal as Arriale.  She may whisper or attack, but never pounds.  Her melodic improvisation on “Ballad Od The Sad Young Men” is crystalline and touching.  Her playing features spiky treble statements that press the beat.  Drummer Anthony Pinciotti seems to know what she’s going to play before Arriale does, and he’s right under her when he needs to be.  Bassist George Mraz is the model of tasteful support and strong rhythmic input.

The CD includes a DVD of a live recital of the same program.  The players seem a little more playful with the material.  Arriale’s classical depth makes her virtuosic uptempo flight on “La Noche” a mini tour-de-force.  Mraz, an ensemble player on the CD, gets a couple of solos on the DVD: pithy yet understated on “Young Men,” and nimble and articulate on “Gumbo.”  “I Hear A Rhapsody” is a noticeably more adventurous–almost deconstructed–exploration.  The rubato journey hangs together precariously, yet hands just the same.

-Kirk Silsbee

The Jazz Breakfast

Lynne Arriale: Nuance: The Bennett Studio Sessions (In & Out Records IORCD77089-2)

Pianist Lynne Arriale brings a wider audience to jazz, I believe, because, like orchestra leader Maria Schneider, she values the heart over the head. Or rather, she places the head in service to the heart (I use these parts of the body as shorthand, you understand – but I think you know what I mean). In other words, she understands that all these notes, all these interesting constructions of notes, all these scales and harmonies and time signatures, all this interaction of instruments, all this playing out of melodic ideas, all this spontaneous composition called improvisation has as its purpose a communication of emotions, of truths about the human condition, of observations about the world around us.

Is it a coincidence that both musicians are women? No, of course not. Does that mean men can’t also do this? No, of course not. Men might just need to try a bit harder to convey the whole wood of experience without getting bogged down in the individual trees of technique. They might need to realise that showing off how clever you are is not enough in itself – you need to use that cleverness to convey something deeper, more interesting, more universal. That the  mind is not an end in itself, it is the means…

This impeccable session expands Arriale’s band from piano trio to quartet, and the trumpet and flugelhorn of Randy Brecker is a real bonus, as are the contributions of the veteran bass player George Mraz. Drummer Anthony Pinciotti is a new name to me, but he is equally classy. These are mean who know what Arriale is on about – and all use their incredibly well-developed technical prowess and many years of experience to get to the heart of the matter

Some of the songs are originals, others are by Monk, or Sting, or Dizzy. Try Tommy Wolf’s timeless and always wonderful Ballad Of The Sad Young Men. The pace is stately, Brecker’s muted horn is at once imperious and vulnerable, and Arriale’s chord voicings and fills close gently around him like a cradle of arms. Her own solo is so precisely and thoughtfully played, one can almost sense the way the pressure of each finger on each key has been measured.

There is an invaluable bonus here, too. A DVD included in the package gives us this exact same programme and played in the same superb studio just outside New York, but live and with a studio audience. It’s filmed with the same attention to quality and detail as the CD has been recorded. There’s a fab interview with Lynne Arriale below for you to hear more about her:

Jazz Improv Magazine

Jazz Improv Magazine
By Cathy Heimbauer

Nuance—what an album! Arriale’s original “Wrapped Around Your Finger” starts the disc off on a mysterious and haunting note. This Sting standard isn’t a particularly dark tune, but Arriale gives it new depth with her wealth of harmonic knowledge. Her playing is intense and urgent; important and captivating. Her left hand keeps its independence, hitting pedal tones and keeping time, reminiscent of McCoy Tyner, as her right hand flies away.

“I Mean You” starts off very free yet in a stiff way, reminding me of an old ‘Jack in the Box’ (that plays Monk tunes) that hasn’t been wound for a while. The tension is hard and someone is winding away with all their might but it won’t come out evenly. Brecker, Pinciotti, and Mraz respond to her every whim with taste and support. Suddenly it all comes together, swinging hard, before going out again. Her touch has such a ferociously restrained intensity that simmers at the surface, as her left hand jabs in its two cents here and there, sparse and staccato. Her playing is so open, and unpredictable. She is an extremely genuine player with no affectations.

The recording quality on this disc, and the way it is mixed is very impressive. Mraz’s bass is big and clear. Pinciotti’s drums are tight and crisp and up front. Lynne’s piano has a slight natural reverb and plenty of warmth, but without a loss of clarity, and Randy’s horn is clear but not overly bright in the tonal spectrum.

Arriale’s original ballad “Longing” has a very long song structure, and Brecker states the well composed melody beautifully. Arriale takes a short solo that sounds as if it is completely composed, as much of her improvisations do, and Brecker does the same before taking it out for the last minute.

Having just returned from Mardis Gras, I was especially interested in hearing the fourth track, “Crawfish and Gumbo.” It is a rather joyful tune with a very danceable vibe to it and it features a wonderful solo from
Mraz.

“Ballad of the Sad Young Men” by Tommy Wolf is given a gorgeous treatment by the very reverent and inventive Arriale. What I mean by reverent is that you can hear her intense appreciation and thanks for a beautiful tune in the way she touches the piano—with a blissful awe of what her hands are able to conjure. It is not what her hands can do that she is concerned with showing us, but the thing their abilities allow to happen. Dig? She loses herself. She gently explores the harmonies as Randy Brecker lays the melody on her bed of roses—some red and full of life, others yellow or white, and some wilting and falling apart. Her solo again has the quality of being composed. It tells a story. It develops, it climbs, and it falls. The way she lays into the understood but hardly stated tempo, and articulates her phrases is full of life, humanity, and highly developed musicianship.

“Carry On” starts off with a very open and circular feel, but for the solo sections, settles into a straight ahead swing. Brecker’s solo is very melodic yet with plenty of rhythmic fun. Arriale comes in and swings her butt off, as the smile comes to my face.  She has a few different gears that she gets into during this solo. One is to play very sparse with hardly any left hand. The other is with staccato accentuations in the middle register, and lastly is with plenty of low register McCoy like heavy handedness. Her time feel is so deep, and will surely get you right in the gut.

“Yada Yada Yada” features a very quirky and unsettling melody that comes off as sounding like someone took an eraser and removed or displaced certain parts—I can hear plenty of Monk influence here. The way that Brecker, Mraz and Arriale come together in the opening minute, harmonically and rhythmically, makes for a very intense and potent listening experience. Throughout the tune, the band creates the illusion of a constantly changing meter, but it seems to be in 4/4 the whole way through. Mraz takes a very impressive solo and Arriale’s accompaniment pushes him on and props him up.

After hearing all of these originals, she confirms her musical identity by  infusing it into a couple of well known standards—“I Hear a Rhapsody” and “A Night In Tunisia”, which she gives predictably rich and adventurous re-workings before ending the set with a short and simple but beautiful ballad entitled “A Gentle Soul.”

Lynne Arriale is a monster of a piano player—a gentle monster. She swings as hard as anyone but in a modern way. She can play soft and gentle like Bill Evans or loud and heavy like Monk or McCoy Tyner, and her harmonies are extraordinarily rich. She is an explorer, and a true artist, with a very unique voice and her ego seems to be completely out of the picture, allowing her to take musical explorations that only such humility can get you a ticket for. And to top it off, she writes beautiful melodies that are memorable and singable, yet with mindboggling harmonic richness. To put it simply, Nuance is a beautiful album that I urge you to give a listen to.

Andrea Canter

Beyond “Nuance”: Lynne Arriale’s New Quartet Release
Nuance: The Bennett Studio Sessions (2009, Motema Records)

© 2009, Andrea Canter

“I don’t think I can compare her to anyone…her music transcends jazz. It’s just pure music.”

– Randy Brecker

Once in a while we find ourselves delightfully reacquainted with an old friend, someone we thought we already knew so well, only to suddenly discover a new talent, a new philosophy, a new look, a small alteration in style or a more significant transformation. We’re awed by the change yet also relieved that the original basis of our attraction remains. Such is my encounter with Lynne Arriale’s new (and gorgeous) CD/DVD, Nuance: The Bennett Studio Sessions, released May 12th on Motema.

I first heard Lynne Arriale at the old Dakota Bar and Grill about 7 years ago. Shortly thereafter I found her 1997 release, The Long Road Home, in a used CD bin and soon “caught up” with the rest of her discography. What has always drawn me to Arriale’s music is her articulate lyricism and passion for melody as composer and improviser—an ability to give complex layers of rhythm and harmony an elegant simplicity, and to give the simplest lines multiple layers of feeling.

A Milwaukee native, Lynne Arriale studied classical piano, only discovering her affinity for jazz well into her 20s. She won the Great American Piano Competition in 1993 and initiated a decade-plus of impeccable trio recordings the following year. Her career almost exclusively focused on the piano trio through the release of Live in late 2005. For most of this period, she toured and recorded with bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Steve Davis. But, as Arriale says, “It seemed like time for a change. Music is music, whatever the configuration is. I treasure all of the years I spent with Steve and Jay. There’s something special about being able to concentrate on one thing, such as trio playing and work with that format, year after year.” Initially she tried out different combinations of bassists and drummers, still working in a trio format. Yet, “I wanted to work with a quartet, to add a horn…”

And not just any horn, Arriale wanted to work with trumpet master Randy Brecker, one of the most eclectic performers in jazz. “I wanted to work with a quartet, and I had always wanted to record with Randy, so he came to mind immediately. Playing with him is so exciting, he’s so versatile, so able to go in any direction. So he was an obvious choice for me… I was specifically thinking of Randy when I was writing, listening to his recordings while I was writing to get the feel of his spirit…” What she didn’t know was that Brecker had been a fan for years, since hearing Lynne play at Sweet Basil during her early years in New York.

Internationally acclaimed bassist George Mraz was another new partner, a first choice for producer Suzy Reynolds. In addition to his long-standing collaborations with Brecker, he shares Lynne’s “strong sense of melody.” Mraz quickly agreed to the project—he also was a long-time fan of Lynne’s music. “George is incredible,” notes Lynne. “He brings a balance between support and interaction, and his lyricism is remarkable.” Adding drummer Anthony Pinciotti, whose diverse resume includes Dr. Lonnie Smith, Pat Metheny and musicians of the AACM, Arriale had her new ensemble. “I had played with Anthony before, and I feel that we have a wonderfully deep musical connection… The musical conversation is stimulating, it takes us in different directions because there is a fourth voice…”

Writing for this quartet set her music on a new path. “I think, in general, that the music has opened up,” she said in a recent interview. “I think it has become more free. I feel very much at home, that I can just allow the musical palette to expand. I’ve experienced some changes in my life in the past few years, and it seems that new energies are coming forth, and playing with a new group definitely stimulates different parts of my mind. It’s very much like meeting someone new and you find yourself saying things that don’t normally come up in conversation, probably because the energy from that person stimulates new areas of your consciousness and touches on areas that are not normally present.  In the same way, with music, we can find new parts of ourselves that haven’t been accessed before.”

And hearing Nuance for the first time, I found myself listening differently, hearing that new palette of sound and color while simultaneously recognizing Lynne’s continuing devotion to melody and emotional expression; the collaborative ownership of musical interaction is not confined by configuration. Eleven compositions, original works and new arrangements, are covered on both the Bennett Studio CD recording and the DVD session, again at Bennett with a live audience. Although documenting the first time all four musicians had played together, the synergy suggests otherwise, a testament to Arriale’s ability to harness creative disparities with a transcendent sense of purpose. “The musicians were so open to my expressing my concept for each tune and the specific things I was going for,” says Lynne. “Within each tune there was an inherent character that needed some explanation sometimes; I described what it was and the particular feel I was looking for. There was plenty of room for magic to occur….the unexpected, but everyone really embraced the music with open hearts.”

Six tracks are Arriale’s compositions, written for this band; the remainder includes diverse arrangements of Sting, Monk and Gillespie, a topsy-turvy dismantling of “I Hear a Rhapsody,” and a heart-piercing setting of Tommy Wolf’s “Ballad of the Sad Young Men.” Although the concept of “nuance” – defined by my Webster’s as subtle or delicate shadings or variations—has always defined Arriale’s work, it might actually be a misleading title here, as some of these arrangements are far more assertive, the shadings bolder, the improvisations crossing into more distant territories than the more “nuanced” explorations of the trio. Yet one must also recognize those nuances—the selection of each note and voicing, the slight shifts in rhythm, the subtle movement from one idea to the next.

The covers display the technical and emotional range of the quartet. Sting’s “Wrapped Around Your Finger” opens both the CD and DVD, setting the stage for this quartet’s orchestral interaction. Notes Lynne, “I wanted many things happening at once to add to the density, like a flurry of activity and the tension building from that point to a higher intensity.” And so it goes: The piano begins, Brecker coming in on flugelhorn while Arriale is still building the emotional structure. Lynne solos with bass and drum support, using some interesting, very lyrical and mildly dissonant voicings, giving an edge of mystery to the harmonies. As her intensity builds, Brecker returns to add his own layer, resulting in multiple plotlines; Pinciotti’s drums are ferocious. A conversation between piano and horn evolves over a pulsating bassline, and Lynne takes it out with the steady ostinato that informed the beginning.

“I Mean You” is as quirky as one expects of Monk but Lynne’s arrangement creates more playful cacophony than what is normally heard with four instruments. Although she regards him as a source of inspiration, Lynne views Monk as more of a point of departure than direct influence. “I think that the message from Monk is ‘be yourself!’ His tunes are great vehicles for exploration, but the way I play them has no relationship to the way he plays them. His tunes provide such great material for improvisation and having fun.” Fun is definitely on the menu here. The trumpet comes in a bit behind the piano as if mocking, the two voices coming together in a unison line before Randy’s solo. Yet it is more like a dual solo as Arriale’s “support” is more counter play than comping. Brecker’s lines are deliciously twisted and Arriale ventures far from home, her improvisation more assertive than one might expect. There’s a passing remnant of “Bemsha Swing,” and solos by Mraz and popping accents from Pinciotti give the interplay more immediacy.

The finality of “Ballad of the Sad Young Men” is the result of Lynne’s focused preparation for the recording (including experimenting with various keys). “I went back and forth between having it played in D or E-flat.  D had more of the pathos than E flat, so I left it in D,” she explains. “I wanted the song to have a very lonely feel.  First we tried it on flugel, but then I decided that the Harmon mute would impart a more stark sound. I always want to treat each tune with the attention and respect that it deserves. ‘Ballad of the Sad Young Men’ was originally an AIDS anthem, and now that young people are going off to war, not knowing what their future will be, the tune has wider implication…When I hear the trumpet with the Harmon mute, it reminds me of taps.” Indeed, Brecker’s muted trumpet sounds sad and bleak, not dark and funereal as much as tragic and wistful. Lynne, as always, has the most elegant, delicate, articulate—and patient―touch on the keys, conveying a melodic simplicity of pending doom, while bass and drum give her space and supporting voices. Mraz’s solo echoes the pathos with exquisite pain. It’s lovely and devastating.

“I Hear a Rhapsody” begins as a solo piano abstraction, minor voicings all but obscuring the original melody while leaving fragments intact, soon fed from the bottom by Mraz. As the intensity builds, Pinciotti adds rumbles and clangs, Brecker then joining with a more conservative melodic line over searing fireworks. Through these layers, Lynne pushes out the skeleton of melody, surely one of her most effective, if outward-bound, improvisations yet.
image 4

“A Night in Tunisia” is the only tune of the set that Lynne has previously recorded. Brecker bends the final note of the first verse as if inviting a free exchange, then continues to make further modifications while his bandmates each contribute their own. Randy’s speed and dexterity, Lynne’s affirmative-action chord combinations, Anthony’s driving percussion and George’s running bass give this Tunisia a 21st century post bop tune-up. Lynne’s solo continues the frenzy with an increasingly free flowering of ideas, setting up an explosive break from Pinciotti. Brecker recapitulates Gillespie’s theme and the quartet spins a brief vamp into a quick-stop finale.

The six original compositions provide a crisp snapshot of Lynne Arriale’s wide-ranging musical imagination. “Longing” is eloquently expressed by Brecker’s flugelhorn in the opening passage over a sparse chord accompaniment, deep bass tones and subtle percussion. Like a solemn prayer, horn and piano move in unison, leading into Lynne’s solo passage, buoyed by Mraz’s prominent basslines and true to Arriale’s trademark reverence for melody. Brecker returns, weaving majestically with the piano, supported elegantly by Mraz and Pinciotti. “Crawfish and Gumbo” recalls a French Quarter jubilee, Brecker leading the way with Arriale’s jaunty theme.  Lynne’s solo is filled with energetic bounce, playfully serious. Mraz’s solo similarly bounces like a yo yo; Pincotti stirs up plenty of percussive gumbo and his solo break bursts with sheer delight.

Randy gives “Carry On” a Miles Davis feel in its early phrases but with a much brighter tone. A drum roll from Pinciotti introduces Brecker’s first improvised verse and the drummer continues as a dominant presence. Lynne furthers the abstraction on her solo with tumbling right-hand figures and strong statements from the left hand. “La Noche” flows like a second movement following “Carry On” (on CD), Randy making his statement and taking the first turn, Lynne coming in with more twists, while the bass and drum support keeps it all well grounded. The pianist’s fading chords open the floodgates for Pinciotti’s billowing break, and the smoldering fire continues after Brecker returns to the forefront.

On “Yada Yada Yada,” Arriale provides a simple melody and quirky rhythm that sets up the improvisations that follow. “The melody of ‘Yada Yada Yada’ gives us the motive for the solos—the foundations of all of our improvisations,” says Lynne. “We take this simple idea and use that rhythm and interval throughout the solo, varying it in many different ways.  I wanted that, it gives the tune continuity and distinguishes it from what we often hear—just playing the melody and improvising, without a real, deep connection to the original melody. I like hearing the connection to the melody, as it creates a more cohesive musical piece; i.e., everything is related.”  The spirit of Monk pervades this track in particular, a spirit most often conveyed through Lynne’s arrangements of Monk tunes that appear often throughout her discography. The interplay among the musicians provides the connecting threads–Arriale splicing dissonant chord voicings into the spaces of Brecker’s serpentine lines (on flugelhorn); Mraz dancing throughout Lynne’s two-handed gymnastics; piano and drums winnowing around the basslines, all returning to that basic staccato motive, ending in mid phrase surprise.

The closing track on both discs, the brief and majestic “A Gentle Soul” (“dedicated to all of the gentle souls in each one of us!”) hints at “Danny Boy”, an elegant melody with which Lynne braids a sweet harmony with Brecker.

The DVD deserves it own review, a stunning and compelling document of the birth of an ensemble that seems to have instantly come into its own. Producer Suzy Reynolds (in the interview portion of the DVD) notes her commitment to the CD/DVD combination as a means of reaching the largest possible audience internationally. Further, Reynolds notes that the DVD allows an “up close and personal view of how bands communicate…[and] continue each other’s conversation.”  All music from the CD is repeated in front of a live audience, with a somewhat different sequence and the band able to stretch out and explore each composition a bit more with the longer format.

We always learn something new about the music and/or musicians when we have visual as well as auditory input. We see that Lynne Arriale not only sings as she composes, but she sings as she performs—subvocally, almost imperceptibly, but the lips move, the heart and hand tied to the melody. We see Lynne periodically reaching inside the piano, or so it seems. And after a few tunes, she let’s the audience in on a secret “I have never shared with another audience.” Hiding just inside the piano is a lemon—Lynne’s antidote for dry fingers, one that does not leave a sticky residue.

The performance in the main hall of Bennett Studios suggests an old fashioned “house party” with better sound, both audience and musicians seeming as relaxed as in a circle of friends in a large living room. And these are all “first takes” that go wherever the artistic momentum dictates, generally longer solos than on the CD, the communication among musicians now presented with visible as well as audible clarity. There’s something about the additional sensation—seeing as well as hearing—that awakens the brain to the full scope of activity, and in fact it seems that one actually hears more with eyes as well as ears wide open. The intimacy of the video work as well as the warm sound brings the quartet close enough that one applauds with the audience as if literally present. The DVD format of course also allows additional material, in this case candid interviews with each of the musicians and producer.

As Suzy Reynolds notes in her DVD interview, “Lynne has received more stellar press, more remarkable, remarkable critique than any other artist I have known in the last 20 years. To best every effort is no small challenge.” Yet each time out, that has been Lynne’s accomplishment. That she again rises above the very best of her past efforts, and now with the very bold move to a new format and new collaborators, speaks volumes of Lynne Arriale’s versatility and virtuosity as composer, arranger, performer and bandleader. With Nuance, the full range of human emotion is communicated in one diverse but cohesive set, sparsely majestic, densely frenetic, peaceful, playful, tragic, triumphant. I’m aware of no jazz artist working today who brings a broader spectrum of musical ideas to the connection of mind and heart.

And what new journeys lie ahead? The “Nuance Quartet” has already enjoyed two tours of Europe since the recording sessions, and in coming months Lynne will perform in trio and quartet formats here and abroad, with varying combinations of musicians. But I have always wondered, what would happen if, instead of adding elements such as horn, Lynne stripped away all other voices except her own, fashioning melody and improvisation in a conversation solely with the audience? If the past predicts the future, her first solo recording, planned for September, will very elegantly and creatively answer that question.

United Press International

“Perhaps her finest CD filled with the sparkling clarity that graces her music.” — United Press International / #1 Best CD

The Sunday Independent

“This may well be the best group you’ll hear all year” — The Sunday Independent (Dublin)

Billboard

“Arriale is a rarity among pianists today, commanding airplay with her trio recordings. Growing media attention and a sophisticated sense of melody allows her to reach both aficionados and the casual jazz listener, making Arriale one of the more talked about artists in jazz. She has a profound sense of wonder at the ways in which a melody can be dissected and reassembled. Each track is notable for the way in which the trio finds new wrinkles in the most familiar of melodies.”

Billboard

Augsberger

“…Arriale creates singing melodies of great depth, beauty and interpretation.”

Augsberger Alltmeine

Downbeat

“A powerhouse! A singular voice as a pianist and leader. Arriale’s playing is haunting, gorgeous – a breeze of warm sophistication and accomplished pianism with expressive passion and intelligent interpretation. She has a knack for finding a song’s heart.”

Downbeat

The Guardian – UK

“One of the most exciting pianists in contemporary jazz! Arriale can make music that is ravishingly beautiful. Her glistening left-hand melodies, rich harmonic palette and gift for flowing extemporization bring to mind the crystalline lyricism of Bill Evans and Keith Jarett. The sinewy Come Together and samba-tinged Braziliana demonstrate that Arriale and her long-serving trio can play with real vim and vigor. Undoubtedly one of 2005′s best new jazz records.”

The Guardian – UK

The Boston Herald

“Even people allergic to jazz respond to her music. Arriale’s blissful embrace of easily hummable music continues to win her admirers. It also makes her something of a rarity. She is a serious player who combines intelligence and technical ability with a welcoming sensibility”

The Boston Herald

Passauer Neue Presse

“There’s great innovation in this group! The trio revealed its unmistakable class as a chamber ensemble. She proved with great talent, how to let the sound ring, as if listening into its core. Her fingers sing soundscapes of perfect beauty. A true virtuoso.”

Passauer Neue Presse

Jazz Week

“Lynne Arriale fronts an impressive power trio. She pinpoints a song’s power, majesty, and soul simultaneously.”

Jazz Week

IAJE Journal

“Arriale’s ascent to front-runner status is surely achieved. One of the most intuitive pianists combining head with heart, her improvisations are tethered to a tangible, hugely melodic treasury. Their three-way communion is a model of rapport and their solos disarmingly superb. They are hands down winners and serve as a template for jazz piano trios. Arriale has indeed arrived!”

IAJE Journal

Celebrity Cafe

“Her original compositions will blow you away”

Celebrity Cafe

Keyboard Magazine

Lynne Arriale’s candid approach to piano playing speaks volumes. Everything here is in equal proportion: uniformly smooth and penetrating tone, technique galore, and a harmonic sense that’s sophisticated.

Keyboard Magazine

Jazzzeitung

“…unrivalled emotional depth!”

Jazzzeitung, Munich

The Oakland Tribune

“Lynne Arriale is dynamite!”

The Oakland Tribune

The Sunday Times

“The finest American trio on the loose at the moment. …Arriale’s eye for unusual material keeps it dazzingly fresh, while the original numbers are no less seductive.”

The Sunday Times – London

BBC Music Magazine

“A new star shines on the jazz firmament. Lynne Arriale is an exceptional talent whose luminous tone and superlative melodic flair combine with her own musical vision informing the frequent creative surprise of her work. An ebullient performance and a miraculous flow of ideas from Arriale, this is a great album.”

BBC Music Magazine

Jazziz

“Few recordings touch the soul. Lynne Arriale’s keen sense of melody renders her music far more passionate than most. Stunning piano work – the trio has obviously attained the level of communication paramount to all great threesomes. While her technique is expert, it never dilutes the emotional impact of her music.”

JAZZIZ

The London Times

“A superb performer and one of the most lyrical new players in the Bill Evans – Keith Jarrett tradition, she is one of the genuinely creative pianists in jazz. Her trio is now more than a match for Jarrett’s.”

The London Times