James Weidman - October Feeling (2014)

Really nice solo piano set from Weidman, who mixes things up with tunes from the GAS, a few from jazz giants and some of his own originals. He gets an intimate, warm sound from his instrument, which is why the songs reveal a depth and substance even when he’s playing it straight and casual. For this session, Weidman set out to use a Fazioli rather than a typical Steinway piano. The Fazioli is made from the same wood as the Stradivarius, and notes tend to sustain a bit longer. Between that and his smart play, it’s why this album resonates as strongly as it does. - Dave Sumner

James Weidman Notes:
The embodiment of this music called jazz to the majority of listeners has been associated with the setting of the small group especially since the 1940’s when the appearance of big bands began to decline. The creation of music has been extracted through the democratic and collective ways that musicians listen and respond to each other. It is also where the majority of the advancement of the music has occurred. It is certainly how I learned to play this music and how I continue learn to this day. On the other hand purely solo performances have largely been relegated to a specialty department. Consider Art Tatum, one of the greatest pianists ever of the twentieth century. Ironically throughout a great part of his lifetime, he mainly toured with his trio in spite of the purely iconic solo records that he recorded. That was due to the commercial viability in this music called jazz of group performances.
The democratic interactivity of musicians has been the accepted notion of what jazz is. A solo artist my nature seems maybe more autocratic or at least it is certainly a special part of the music that mostly caters to connoisseurs. Tatum certainly understood that. It is documented that his greatest forays in solo expositions were for exclusive audiences.
So with that said, here’s what drew me to record a solo piano album. Jim Luce, the producer, invited me to do so. In fact, it was on an instrument, the intriguing Italian-made Fazioli that Jim had introduced me to some five years ago. I thought this would, in a modest way, be an opportunity to both make a personal musical statement and to demonstrate special sound of this instrument. And also it would present a great and wonderful challenge. Now what differentiates the Fazioli from another great instrument and industry standard bearer, the Steinway, (which I own and love) is that The Fazioli is made from the wood as the Stradivarius. Also the time a note sustains is longer than any other piano built. It is pretty consistent in this regard from top to bottom. That makes for a full bodied and powerful instrument. My goal on this particular recording was to explore the sonic possibilities the instrument presented to me.

Here is my personal take on solo playing. There is no group interaction to help the expansion of one’s idea. The soloist simply left with the problem of how holistic he can be in creating sonic landscapes. It brought to mind my practice of yoga. There has to be a feeling freedom, acceptance, awareness and integration.

For the session I chose 10 tunes. Three are from the American song book, two are by other jazz composers and the remaining five are my originals. Of the five, I composed three especially for the piano, “Three Questions”, “The Mind is the Universe” and “October Feeling.”

Tracklist:

01. I Hear A Rhapsody (5:34)
02. Three Questions (4:33)
03. The Wanderer (7:00)
04. The Mind Is The Universe (6:15)
05. Upper Manhattan Medical Group (5:11)
06. Straight Ahead (7:30)
07. Spring Is Here (6:57)
08. It's There For You To See (7:38)
09. October Feeling (5:50)
10. The Best Thing For You (Would Be Me ) (5:37)