1. Beginning
2. The Spins
3. Lucent
4. Waiting In Santander
5. Conception Vessel
6. Jimmy G
7. Play
8. Regeneration
9. Little Big Man
10. Beginning 2
Frank Kimbrough - piano
Masa Kamaguchi - bass
Paul Motian - drums
all compositions by Frank Kimbrough, Kimbrough Music, BMI, except for (5) and (7) by Paul Motian, Yazgol Music, BMI.
Top 10 Jazz CDs of 2006
Martin Johnson, Wall Street Journal
Gene Seymour, New York Newsday
James Hale, Jazz Journalists Association
John Shand, Sydney (Australia)Morning Herald
Paul Olson, Allaboutjazz.com
Bob Weinberg, Jazziz
"...the album depicts the three musicians in an elevated state, engaged in intimate and often sparkling conversation. Their colloquy is long on sustain and enigma, with compositions that frequently heed a stately, crawling abstraction...But there are also bright flashes of elastic swing...There, and throughout the album, oblique procedures are softened by genuinely catchy melodies.
Nate Chinen, The New York Times
****An air of tranquility suffuses much of Frank Kimbrough's Play...A lot of credit goes to the Zen-like accompaniment of Paul Motian, whose cymbal work drifts like vapor above Kimbrough and bassist Masa Kamaguchi....Kimbrough's collaboration with the drummer seems like a natural...Kamaguchi has a big, booming tone and a way of letting just a few notes sing. Throughout, Kimbrough's rich orchestral approach to the piano shines. This is a beautifully balanced set of compositions, played with the unhurried grace of musicians who have the confidence that their interaction will carry them someplace interesting."
James Hale, Downbeat
"Kimbrough's trio effortlessly navigates the strait between the mainland of contemporary jazz and the isle of free improvisation. Play contains 53 minutes of jazz without a single riff, lick, or pattern. The result: 10 vignettes spun from simple compositional concepts into loose and understated structures, which together amount to one of the finest jazz albums released in years."
Bill Carbone, New Haven Advocate
"...an unparalleled grace of touch and musicality that subtly penetrate the ear; dancing with the innate, ineffable rhythmic sense that makes repeated listenings a pleasure. Kimbrough creates and develops musical settings on Play that seem as organic and inevitable as a sunrise or a flower's bloom. It is vibrant, fresh, and entirely egoless."
Matthew Miller, All About Jazz New York
**** "Pianist Frank Kimbrough delivers more of his deeply introspective, harmonically complex jazz on Play. Working with a trio, Kimbrough is supported here by the adept bassist Masa Kamaguchi and journeyman drummer Paul Motian. A phenomenal pianist, Kimbrough's mix of cubist bumptiousness and impressionistic colorations is thoroughly modern and prefigures the work some of his younger, more ballyhooed contemporaries. Moving from tumbling ballads to playful waltzes and enigmatic modal pieces, Kimbrough has crafted a challenging, atmospheric, and subtle album that makes the most of his sensitive group's interplay."
Matt Collar, All Music Guide
"The five-hour session at Matt Balitsaris' Maggie's Farm studio was Kimbrough's first encounter with Motian. You wonder what took them so long. The two players are completely on each others' wavelength here, and Kimbrough included two of Motian's best compositions. This is thoughtful, interior music for the most part, and it's exquisitely done.....this is music making on a very high level."
John Chacona, Signal to Noise
"...there is a rich strain in jazz that can be termed impressionistic, and currently there is no finer practitioner than Frank Kimbrough. Kimbrough gets his musical ideas across in evocative strokes rather than bold refrains. All but two of the album’s lovely compositions are by Kimbrough and they work beautifully as components of a larger work of art. Moving back and forth between abstract and melodic sections, “The Spins” is the album’s most intriguing composition. In each verse Kimbrough toys with time and structure in a manner bordering on the avant-garde. He counters this with a beautiful lyrical passage that somehow is a perfect fit. “Jimmy G” is another particularly distinctive tune. Employing a blues structure, Kimbrough injects an air of mystery into his melody, bringing a fresh approach to a well-traveled genre. In creating an impressionistic album, Kimbrough has chosen the best possible drummer for the job, Paul Motian. Motian, who contributes two compositions (including the title tune), has few rivals when it comes to using a full palette of percussive colors. Bassist Masa Kamaguchi is the least-known player on the album, but he is an artist of the first order, contributing tastefully on every cut and executing some memorable solos."
Ron Netsky, Rochester Citynews
"New York jazz pianist Frank Kimbrough creates a bewitching album. The immediacy pulses from the speakers with every note. Kimbrough's touch and ideas have a mystery and soft, twinkling brightness about them and, like starlight, a burning core."
John Shand, Sydney Morning Herald
"Waxing reflective on the new Play, the pianist makes a point of subverting familiar phrases while still delivering an array of organized thoughts, meaning he always makes you guess where he's going - one reason jazz fans buy disks and see shows. His trio with Paul Motian is all about demonstrative nuances."
Jim Macnie, Village Voice
"Under (Kimbrough's) fingers, each melody note seems chosen not for its riff value, but for what it adds to his bittersweet harmonies. The approach has won a thoughtful audience that's interested in searching out his tunes' subtle beauty. "Play" includes plenty of that beauty. Kimbrough's comfortable interplay with another weaver of subtleties, drummer Paul Motian, is no surprise. Bassist Masa Kamaguchi lends a spontaneous and sensitive voice to the dialogue. The trio swings -- check out the Monk-evoking waltz, "The Spins" -- as well as it slow-walks through poignant pieces like "Beginning" and lurches and searches through a portentous composition like Motian's "Conception Vessel."
Steve Garmhausen, Star Ledger
"…..a magnificent example of ’open balladry’ – meditative but also quietly dramatic, very beautiful, & free of clichés. Three people with big ears, wide open."
ABC Radio National (Australia)
"Play demonstrates the pianist’s full range of playing and composition – from the subtle and introspective to the rambunctious and angular – combined with a palpable feeling of discovery and spontaneity."
Ed Trefzger, JazzWeek
Also available:
Frank Kimbrough: Lullabluebye
(Palmetto PM 2100)
1. Lullabluebye
2. Centering
3. Kid Stuff
4. Ode
5. Whirl
6. Ghost Dance
7. You Only Live Twice (John Barry)
8. Fu Bu
9. Ben's Tune (Ben Allison)
10. Eventualitues
Frank Kimbrough – piano
Ben Allison – bass
Matt Wilson – drums
all compositions by Frank Kimbrough, Kimbrough Music, BMI except where indicated.
****½ "This superb trio date gives (Kimbrough's) growing set of admirers another argument for putting him among New York's finest pianists. Here, he and his colleagues bassist Ben Allison and drummer Matt Wilson, combine a great love of melody and time with curiosity fueled by freer structures. That's probably why Lullabluebye is so appealing. It is beautiful but it is a great many other things, too. The arrangements give the trio plenty of room, but he isn't preoccupied by mood or method. It's a memorable performance on a compelling record."
Greg Buium, Downbeat
"Any opportunity to listen to Frank Kimbrough's trio is apt to be well worth the investment in time and concentration. Although ever accessible, it is sometimes freeform and unfettered, other times focused and disciplined, but always thoughtful and genuine; just when you think you have it figured out, it frequently springs a surprise...it can take you to light and mystical places in an almost Zen-like way you may not have believed possible."
J. Robert Bragonier, AllAboutJazz.com
"Lullabluebye (Palmetto) captures the razor sharp pianist alongside two JCC associates, bassist Ben Allison and drummer Matt Wilson. The three read each other like the old friends and musical partners they are, and their familiarity and intuitive approach to form accounts in large part for the album's success. Another factor is Kimbrough's persuasive writing, which offsets melodic polish with plenty of room for spontaneous interaction."
Steve Futterman, Jazz Times
"It took a lot longer than it should have, but pianist Frank Kimbrough is finally getting the recognition he deserves. Best known as a founder of (the) Herbie Nichols Project and a member of the Maria Schneider orchestra, Kimbrough has been quietly producing adventurous, high-quality recordings for nearly two decades. But none better than Lullabluebye, a collection of Kimbrough's patented bittersweet melodies and swelling rhythms that is winning critical raves...(he is) joined by bassist Ben Allison and drummer Matt Wilson, long-time associates whose simpatico gives Kimbrough the freedom to explore the full range of the piano trio, imbuing it with a modern sensibility that occasionally strays to the edge of avant garde."
Doug Fischer, Ottawa Citizen
"...an excellent program of modern jazz that grows in iterest with each listen due to its subtlety and quiet surprises."
Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
...the cohesiveness of the trio, together with the strong personal sounds of each of its components, makes this all a strong jazz album should be. It swings hard, the solos are adventurous, there's a spirit of uncontrived spontaneity...this is a grower of a disk, and one that is likely to keep finding its way into the CD player."
Peter Bacon, The Birminghampton (UK) Post
"For over a decade, (Kimbrough) has been considered one of New York's "rising stars" in the field of jazz piano, but as far as I’m concerned, he’s already arrived. From the first notes of his new CD: Lullabluebye (Palmetto PM 2100), it is obvious that his voice is strong, expressive and well-developed. A strong statement by a pianist well worth discovering -- if you enjoy intelligent jazz piano, you will enjoy Lullabluebye."
Jim Luce, enjoythemusic.com
***** "a magisterially personal album, rooted but adventurous, combining structure with freedom and a palpable joy in performance. As for the performances, this is a trio joined at the hip, with Whirl, Ben's Tune and Eventualities gripping examples of their empathy, while Kimbrough's improvisations, notably his superb solo on Centering, constantly reconcile surprise with inevitability."
Ray Comisky, The Irish Times
"The pianist is an expert at the crab walk; his music gains ground by moving forward and sideways at the same time. That's beguiling, if not intriguing, and it places Kimbrough in good company - Andrew Hill and Misha Mengelberg busted similar moves. With a centerpiece entitled "Whirl", his new Lullabluebye is cunning and kaleidoscopic."
Jim Macnie, Village Voice
"Immaculate swing, very intelligent and informed improvisations, great technique, style, authority, and personality. Frank's improvisations are brilliant. This is a must-have CD."
Jose Duarte, JazzPortugal.net
"...multiplexed, dynamic, and thankfully accessible to the listener...filled with empathy and free expression. Every solo is filled with history but more importantly a path to somewhere outside of the typical idiom...searching and progressive with an acute sense of awareness between the musicians...the trio performs with a symbiotic oneness. Kimbrough guides the way with fresh writing and performing and leaves a lasting impression of intelligence and identity."
Mark F. Turner, Jazz Improv Magazine
"interaction makes Lullabluebye a joy."
The New Yorker
Frank Kimbrough — piano
Frank Kimbrough Trio:
Quickening (OmniTone 15203)
1. Quickening
2. Cascade Rising
3. Chant
4. Clara's Room
5. Svengali
6. For Duke
7. TMI
8. Ancestor
Ben Allison — bass
Jeff Ballard — drums
All compositions by Frank Kimbrough, Kimbrough Music, BMI
**** "On Quickening, a live trio date recorded in 1998, pianist Frank Kimbrough displays both a markedly original voice and a rare depth of conception...Kimbrough is one of those introspective improvisors who falls deep into his music, yet unlike many others of this style, he actually pulls the listener in with him. Quickening is a work of powerful subtlety...without even a hint of grandstanding, every move this egalitarian trio makes is all about the music. That such a blueprint evolved in a live setting makes the session all the more remarkable."
Jeff McCord, Downbeat
"The listener gets treated to lots of spry, centred playing. It is the kind of music that one is deeply affected by, almost without being consciously aware of what's happening. The word for that would be "transcendence", something that is arrived at via an approach that is meditative, centering and relaxing, yet substantial."
Paul Serralheiro, La Scena Musicale
**** "Kimbrough continues to shine as a formidable modern jazz composer. Fervently recommended"
Glenn Asterita, All Music Guide
"Quickening is an impressive trio outing filled with great improvisations, clever compositions, and deep moods and space. Kimbrough is a fresh voice worth your time."
Jazzonline.com
"...there is a bold organic feeling to these well-recorded live performances, a sense of freedom and form, in which dissonant modern impulses are balanced out by profoundly lyrical touches, harmonic ambiguity by the collective exhuberance of a solid groove. Kimbrough's lovely touch, fulsome harmonic flourishes and rhythmic sophistication holds it all together...the sonics are full bodied and sweetly balanced."
Chip Stern, Positive Feedback Online
"It's easy to lose oneself in these pieces, their ebb and flow is seductive and they envelop the listener with an expressiveness that makes for a very personal encounter...Kimbrough's playing is lyrical and eloquent throughout and he is able to convey subtle shades of emotion with his expressive touch. It is, however, his interplay with Allison and Ballard that makes this a most special offering."
Elliot Simon, All About Jazz New York
Frank Kimbrough: Chant (IGMOD IGM-49807-2)
1. Feet Music - (O. Coleman)
2. Chant (Kimbrough)
3. Phoenix (J. Giuffre)
4. Broadside (Kimbrough)
5. Clara's Room (Kimbrough)
6. Quickening (Kimbrough)
7. Ancestors (Kimbrough)
8. Motility (Kimbrough)Frank Kimbrough – piano
Ben Allison – bass
Jeff Ballard – drums
"Geared toward erasing the lines between composer and player... (Chant is)...a meaningful addition to the Jazz Composers Collective's manifesto."
Larry Blumenfeld, Jazziz**** – Downbeat"Not one to provide instant gratification, Kimbrough makes you wait, keeping you on your toes as you listen to the trio develop its interplay throughout the course of a tune. And each selection has its own secret, rewarding a close, attentive listen every time."
David Adler, All About Jazz.com