Title: Terrific progressive acoustic Jazz
Review: Is it just me, or are women taking over Jazz? Maybe it's about time. Myra Melford is a formidable pianist with interesting ideas. Like a TRUE Jazz player, she understands the tradition without apeing it. She has worked with some greats, including Henry Threadgill, and you can hear his influence on her work. I also hear a fair bit of Cecil Taylor in her playing, but her style is more lyrical and less percussive, and I dare say she has better chops than the old master.I like her as a clever composer and a leader as well as a pianist, and the other players on this eclectic album acquit themselves very well, but it is principally for the beautiful flow of her playing that I listen to it. That said, she does a fine job of balancing improvisation and structure, and that is non trivial (John Zorn does this extremely well, as does Threadgill), and so the ensemble aspects of this album are well worth a listen.
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