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P+T
Joined: 15 Jun 2006
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Location: Portland, OR
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Post subject: When the Heart Dances - now in the US!
Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2009 3:52 pm
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At last -- Laurence Hobgood's duet album on the Naim Label with the legendary bassist Charlie Haden, When the Heart Dances, will be released in the US on August 11! That's just one month away.
Kurt is the featured guest on three tunes as well. For more information about When the Heart Dances, including track list, click here (and scroll down) or here.
Don't have details yet about where all it will be available, but we'll let you know when we hear something definite. We understand it will be in some bricks and mortar stores, along with the usual on-line outlets.
You can preorder at Amazon.com for $16.98 + shipping.
Allegro, its US distributor, has it in stock now for $13.19 (20% off) + shipping.
Order: http://www.allegro-music.com/online_catalog.asp?sku_tag=NAI3112
When the album was released in Europe earlier this spring, we had a very active thread here in the Forum with lots of reviews and fan comments, all of which greatly heightened our appreciation of this exquisite album.
Now US reviews and articles are beginning to appear and will continue for the next couple of months. Rather than overload the previous thread, let's start anew.
As always, please share your thoughts and feelings about When the Heart Dances -- upon first hearing or after repeated listenings. Post additional reviews. Alert us to great prices and sightings in retail outlets. Savor and share it with your friends.
Last edited by P+T on Tue Aug 11, 2009 2:40 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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P+T
Joined: 15 Jun 2006
Posts: 691
Location: Portland, OR
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Post subject: Dick Bogle's Jazz CD REview
Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2009 3:55 pm
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Addendum: This review was also published in Dick's Picks in The Skanner newspaper, Portland, OR, July 31, 2009.
Dick Bogle's Jazz CD Reviews, July 5, 2009
| Quote: | “WHEN THE HEART DANCES”
LAURENCE HOBGOOD
NAIM
* * * * * (5 stars)
Laurence Hobgood, the man who has astonished world wide audiences with his pianistic prowess accompanying song stylist Kurt Elling, teams with bassist Charlie Haden for this five star recording. Although Elling is heard on three tracks, “First Song,” “Stairway to the Stars,” and “Daydream,” it’s Hobgood’s show.
His composition, “When the Heart Dances” is a lively exercise with its own lovely melody. “Sanctuary,” another Hobgood original, performed solo, is an upbeat tune with occasional gospel hints. Perhaps the prettiest instrumental is “Why Did I Choose You,” performed with Haden, which sets the standard for this gorgeous ballad. Haden extracts not only the melodic theme but each and every nuance therein.
Of the three Elling tracks, my fave is “Stairway to the Stars" but he is as eloquent as Elling fans would expect on all three. |
Dick also played "Stairway to the Stars" on his KMHD show on Friday, July 3. To our knowledge, that's the first radio play of WTHD in the US.
Dick has been part of the jazz scene in Portland for over 50 years. He's the Oregon correspondent for Downbeat and wrote his first reviews in 1952 as a 22 year old for the Portland Challenger, a black weekly.
Last edited by P+T on Fri Jul 31, 2009 12:29 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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P+T
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Post subject: Michael Bailey
Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2009 3:59 pm
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From C. Michael Bailey for Allaboutjazz.com, July 11, 2009
| Quote: | Kurt Elling's long-time pianist, Laurence Hobgood, is no stranger to leading a recording session. He has released four previous recordings on Naim Jazz in the last 10 years. He is a durable pianist, a bit of a cross between Red Garland and George Winston, with a smidge of Bill Evans thrown in for seasoning. On When the Heart Dances, Hobgood duets with bassist Charlie Haden and is joined by Elling on three of the eleven selections.
The jazz duet is enjoying a renaissance. Recent duet recordings include Eddie Daniels and Roger Kellaway's A Duet of One (IPO Recordings, 2009) and Bill Anschell and Brent Jensen's We Couldn't Agree More (Origin Records, 2009). The format provides the most intimate of environments in which to play. The pairing of Hobgood and Haden is an inspired one. The two have a synergy that is oak-organic and diamond hard.
The Doris Day ditty "Que Sera Sera" gets Hobgood's attention and is turned into a deep improvisation where the melody is almost nowhere to be found, like Charlie Parker's famous "Embraceable You." Haden's bass is unadorned, notes chosen and played impeccably. Each note Haden plays carries the DNA of jazz from Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz (Atlantic, 1961) to Quartet West. Haden is beyond flash; he is about distillation of tone and ideas.
Hobgood shows his entire hand on the solo original "Sanctuary." Here, instead of improvising from a standard or jazz composition, Hobgood creates an American palette that is a cross between piano gospel and New Age. Elements of these are present in all pieces but are fully realized here. The Elling recitals—"First Song," "Stairway to the Stars" and "Daydream"—receive a subdued treatment from Elling, who sings them straight with his deep, resonant voice. There is little fault with this quirky, beautiful recording that is delightfully off the beaten path. |
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P+T
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Post subject: Pulling beautiful music from thin air
Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 1:07 am
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From Warren Allen for Allaboutjazz.com, July 17, 2009
| Quote: | The old adage of "less is more" shows up more than it should, but every now and then proves itself remarkably apt in the world of music. When The Heart Dances features pianist Laurence Hobgood scaling back the typical rhythm trio to just himself and bass maestro Charlie Haden. And while it's hardly the first time the setup has been tried, it works to great effect with these two.
The result is mellow but nuanced music. An opener like "Que Sera Sera" might leave some apprehension with an album full of pop lounge tunes. But even before the first chorus is played and the tune continues to develop, layers emerge like new tints. Hobgood plays with an introspective style that reaches for expression through all eighty-eight keys, while Haden speaks as loud as ever through the thrum of low strings. Together, they add and subtract, interacting like primary colors in a painting.
There is nothing hurried here; the music emerges slowly, but when it comes, it's fully formed and confident. Even when Hobgood unveils a brisk, technical line of notes, he often pauses on a single key and lets it sink, before stepping off into another flurry of black and white. Two lone piano excursions suggest the upbeat, joyous gospel influence of Keith Jarrett, including the playful "Sanctuary," which cuts loose on a tank full of inspiration.
Guest singer Kurt Elling, who benefits from Hobgood on his own recordings, brings his discreet baritone to "First Song," "Stairway to The Stars," and "Daydream." His addition doesn't detract from the wonderful, pared-down feeling of the session, wringing a little extra edge out of each tune, whether through crescendo, heart-cracking intonation of lyrics on "First Song," or a sudden sweep of falsetto at the end of "Stairway."
Minimalism seems to be a theme of the album—a big bang without a big band or big charts. Formed at low tempo, these songs seem to drift together out of thin air. Certain tracks might be entirely improvised if it weren't for frameworks that sounds so familiar.
One such melody is "The Cost of Living," a beautiful Don Grolnick ballad which Haden last recorded with Michael Brecker on the saxophonist's great, self-titled 1986 Impulse! debut as a leader. As the last tune here, it carries the weight of everything from sadness to joy and nostalgia to pain, and these feelings develop with each note that Hobgood wrings sweetly out. So it goes for the entire album. Whether one, two or three musicians, they pull beautiful music from thin air, to create an enjoyable experience. |
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P+T
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Post subject: It will have your heart dancing
Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 1:24 pm
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From Brad Walseth's Quick Hits on JazzChicago.net, no date, but presumably about now:
| Quote: | This truly is a lovely production and a sheer delight for the ears. The dream pairing of lyrical pianist Laurence Hobgood with the venerable veteran bassist Charlie Haden would be pleasure enough, but singer Kurt Elling (with whom Hobgood has performed with for years as musical director) also makes a gracious appearance on three tunes. The almost fiendishly talented Hobgood may be the most overlooked pianist on the planet, and the interplay between him and Haden is magical.
The duo was recorded by True Stereo's Ken Christianson (who put this group together) at the Roy O. Disney Music Hall at CalArts in Valencia, CA, the recording brilliantly picks up the sound of the Steinway D piano and Haden's woody acoustic bass. The warm, well-balanced recording picks up all of the nuances and makes it seem as if the listener is in the room with these performers.
Sounds range from a stellar version of "Que Sera Sera" to Hoagy Carmichael ("New Orleans'), Duke Ellington ("Daydream") and Don Grolnick ("The Cost of Living") and originals by both Hobgood and Haden. Elling is in fine form on the bassist's "First Song," a luscious take on "Stairway to the Stars" and the Ellington track, while Hobgood is squarely in the spotlight on a couple of original solo tracks as well ("Sanctuary," "Chickoree").
This is a first rate recording, combining exceptional musicians performing great tunes and recorded in natural and appealing manner, what more could you ask for? It will have your heart dancing. |
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P+T
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Post subject: WTHD: Musically delicious
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 1:00 pm
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From Ken Frankling's Jazz Notes, July 29, 2009
| Quote: | | This disc, with Charlie Haden and Kurt Elling, is musically delicious in many ways. Its intimacy showcases what Hobgood calls the “imagination, empathy, harmony, pitch, rhythmic dimension, clarity, complexity of texture, simplicity of center – and nobility” of Haden’s bass playing. Similarly, it showcases Hobgood’s exquisite touch, imaginative and introspective piano work, and his talents as an arranger and composer (soloing on two originals, including the gospel-meets-new age work “Sanctuary”). He and Haden dance around the basic elements of “Que Sera Sera,” barely touching its distinctive melody. And then there’s Elling’s instrumental approach to singing, which is showcased on Haden’s elegiac “First Song,” “the chestnut “Stairway to the Stars” and the Ellington/Strayhorn classic “Daydream.” This is one to savor. |
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P+T
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karina
Joined: 17 Nov 2008
Posts: 188
Location: Luxembourg
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Post subject:
Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 10:57 am
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Felt like listening to "Que Sera Sera" after reading this topic last night.
Couldn't stop after one track of course, so "nightcap" lasted full hour  .
When the Heart Dances is a wonderful album, not to be missed ! |
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P+T
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Post subject: CD Hotlist: New Releases for Libraries
Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 3:50 pm
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Merridy, do you know this service? Any comments?
One of "Rick's picks" on CD Hotlist: New Releases for Libraries, August 2009:
| Quote: | | This is a lovely collection of standards and originals, performed by pianist Laurence Hobgood with bassist Charlie Haden and, on several tracks, singer Kurt Elling. The focus is on ballads, and even the more uptempo numbers have a gentle, elegiac feel to them, as is often the case with piano-bass duet projects. Elling's vocals are restrained and elegant, with plenty of rhythmic freedom and a tastefully understated vibrato. Very, very nice. |
From the website:
CD HotList is a music recommendation service for librarians, from librarians. Our group of professional librarians provides timely reviews of new CD releases of interest to libraries. The information is presented in a simple and fun way, helping to make the ordering process for librarians faster and easier. Our staff of contributors are librarians and music fans.
Editor:
Rick Anderson has worked in libraries since 1988, and has been an active musician for most of his life, playing in symphony orchestras, jazz combos, dance bands, fife-and-drum companies, bluegrass bands and Celtic groups. He edits the Sound Recording Reviews column for Notes (the quarterly journal of the Music Library Association) and is a regular contributor to the All-Music Guide. He began publishing CD HotList: New Releases for Libraries in 1999. |
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Merridy
Joined: 21 May 2009
Posts: 32
Location: Pacific Northwest
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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 7:19 pm
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I have always worked as a school librarian and haven't had the budget to purchase CDs, so I am not familiar with this. I am looking forward to the new CD, however!
Merridy |
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P+T
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Post subject: Coming soon to a store (hopefully) near you
Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 11:09 pm
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Here's the scoop on finding When The Heart Dances in stores near you.
| Quote: | It is too early to try and determine what brick & mortar stores will carry the CD. It is now in all databases for all retailers to order, so fans should make the request.
Borders is stocking in some of their stores, Music Millennium here in Portland has stocked it and many more independent stores will also be carrying it. |
So in addition to the on-line stores listed in the reply above, try Borders as well as your favorite independent store. Call first. And if they don't carry it, you can always ask them to order for you.
Release ("street date") is Tuesday, August 11.
And if you don't have your copy yet, do make plans to get one soon. You won't be disappointed. It's a marvelous pairing of great artists that will grow on you with repeated listening.
(If you missed the earlier WTHD topic with all the rave reviews from its April release in Europe, check 'em out here.) |
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P+T
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Post subject: Doug Simpson, Audiophile Audition
Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 6:22 pm
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Long review from Doug Simpson for Audiophile Audition, August 6, 2009
This eleven-track outing mixes jazz and pop standards alongside like-minded originals by Hobgood and his musical partner Charlie Haden, and as an added incentive Elling is heard on three tunes.
3 1/2 stars
| Quote: | Anyone who has followed Kurt Elling's career should already know pianist Laurence Hobgood, since he has directed Elling's recordings for fifteen years. Hobgood is much more than an arranger or accompanist, though, as his trio and solo projects prove and he is one of the more underrated jazz pianists of his generation. Hobgood's new duo album with bassist Charlie Haden, When the Heart Dances, is a representation of his sympathetic, lightly swinging style and melodic skills.This eleven-track outing mixes jazz and pop standards alongside some like-minded originals by Hobgood and his musical partner, Charlie Haden, and as an added incentive Elling is featured on three tunes. The overall result is a lean, trim set enlivened by intimacy, nuance, and musical poetry.
The record intriguingly opens with the Doris Day heirloom, "Que Sera Sera." It may seem an odd choice, but Haden and Hobgood transform the sentimental perennial into an elegant and perceptive rendition. Hobgood turns the melody completely around, masking the original so thoroughly listeners probably won't recognize the pop hit. Hobgood performs in an introspective mood, picking out each note as conscientiously as a painter putting brushstrokes on an empty canvas, while Haden converses via the low pulse of his double-bass. Hobgood gradually moves up and down the keyboard, adding splashes of emotional hues, blending intricate right-hand patterns with spare left-hand rhythmic variations.
The duo perks up the pace on the title track, one of three Hobgood originals. Hobgood introduces an inviting theme and capers along with an agile tempo, and imparts an affinity for Bill Evans-styled phrasing and harmonic sensitivity. Hobgood and Haden use the melody as a foundation for interwoven improvisation, marked by Haden's expressive tone. "Chickoree," one of two Haden originals, also has a lively but low-key bounce, seasoned by Hobgood's stride-like quality that recalls Nat King Cole's pre-pop jazz trio material. After about two minutes Hobgood drops out, and Haden supplies a brilliant solo bass sequence. Hobgood and Haden finish the composition in duet fashion, with Hobgood's final note resonating deeply.
Jazz roots are explored more candidly on a refurbished interpretation of Hoagy Carmichael's "New Orleans," which furnishes a blues framework for Hobgood's sparse and open embellishments that evoke Ahmad Jamal's approach to using space and intelligent pacing. Here, every note counts and there is nothing extraneous. Haden exhibits rhythmic and melodic diversity, and capitalizes on the tapered arrangement by providing expanded solo intervals.
The most poignant duo piece is Don Grolnick's "The Cost of Living," a distinguished ballad which Haden last recorded with Michael Brecker on the late saxophonist's self-titled 1986 release. Haden and Hobgood manage to produce the full spectrum of emotional territory, from happiness to sorrow and regret to anguish, the sadder feelings echoed by Hobgood's application of the piano's lower register and Haden's superlative use of corresponding bass notes.
Hobgood's two solo piano excursions, "Sanctuary" and "Leatherwood," are equally captivating. His self-penned "Sanctuary" is part gospel and part pastoral, melding standard jazz improvisation with a spiritual aesthetic, similar to Keith Jarrett's solo formulations. At over seven minutes in length, "Sanctuary" is the album's longest piece and grants Hobgood ample opportunity to interact with his muse, delivering sections coursing with highly-developed lyricism without ever suggesting softness or fragility. Hobgood's "Leatherwood" is a bit more animated and at certain moments has a rustic mannerism. Hobgood showcases a commitment to impressionism, his vision clear and uncluttered, his right hand ringing out quick chord clusters while he discharges diverse left-hand tempos.
Elling fans will no doubt enjoy his vocal contributions. He initially gives Haden's "First Song" a restrained deliberation, singing with a straightforward temperament that highlights his reverberant voice, but later slides into a higher swell, and shifts into a rueful intonation. Elling is more impulsive on "Stairway to the Stars," where he demonstrates his nonchalance with extended phrases and a sharper sense of charisma, although some may find Elling's technique overly dramatic or theatrical. The last Elling offering comes during a bluesy translation of Duke Ellington's ruminative waltz "Daydream," where Elling's earnestness is paraphrased by Haden's vesper bass.
Music with discrete details like that found on When the Heart Dances should be heard with a spacious impact. Thankfully, engineer Ken Christianson carefully captures the complete breadth of Haden and Hobgood, who were recorded at the Roy O. Disney Music Hall, using Nagra-45 analog tapes that were then mastered digitally. This recording flawlessly actualizes each artist's abundant gestures and slightest shading, revealing each musician's fullness and intensity. |
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P+T
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Post subject: New Orleans
Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 6:11 pm
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Jazz.com's Ralph A. Miriello reviews New Orleans from When the Heart Dances (June 21, 2009). This is Jazz.com's Song of the Day for August 7, 2009.
Previously, Miriello reviewed Que Sera Sera as the Jazz.com's Song of the Day for June 21, 2009.
| Quote: | Laurence Hobgood: New Orleans
Track: New Orleans
CD: When The Heart Dances (Naim 112)
Musicians:
Laurence Hobgood (piano), Charlie Haden (bass).
Composed by Hoagy Carmichael.
Recorded: Valencia, CA, March 2008
Rating: 93/100
With a cascading introduction reminiscent of tubular bells, Laurence Hobgood sets the stage for a poignant rendition of Hoagy Carmichael’s “New Orleans”. He transitions from his gorgeous prelude to the familiar stride-like melody in an easy and reverential way. Backed by the deep resonant sounds of Charlie Haden’s bass, Hobgood plays in a sauntering, laconic style that pays homage to Carmichael but with his own quiet sensitivity. The music is played at an achingly slow tempo allowing for thoughtful interplay between Haden’s loping bass and Hobgood’s dancing piano. This music is born from the heartland and these two artists respect the tradition and champion its spare beauty with this soulful homage.
Reviewer: Ralph A. Miriello |
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P+T
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Post subject: Hobgood Dances at Disney
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 2:13 pm
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Hobgood Dances at Disney, by Perry Tannenbaum, on The Clog, August 10, 2009
| Quote: | The strange, stately beauties of pianist/composer Laurence Hobgood’s new Naim Jazz release, When the Heart Dances (US release date: Aug. 11, 2009), begin on the opening track with his funereal transformation of “Que Sera, Sera,” the Jay Livingston tune that Doris Day waltzed to the top of the pop charts in 1956. We lose the carefree tang of Ray Evans’ lyric as Hobgood and the great bassist Charlie Haden lift its fatality into saddened serenity, with a farewell of aching poignancy.
A native of Salisbury, NC, Hobgood is best known for his collaborations with singer Kurt Elling, who drops in on the Hobgood/Haden duo for three songs. Of these, only “Stairway to the Stars” will be familiar – and, especially in its soaring conclusion, worthy of comparison with the great Johnny Hartman version. Duke Ellington’s seldom-heard “Daydream” fits in equally well with the meditative profundity of this CD, but it is overshadowed by the Haden composition, “First Song,” graced by an opening lyric that blooms with quiet cosmic power:
When the stars were strung –
It was the first song that was sung.
It lightened up a world
Made for a boy and a girl
When love was new as morning dew.
That’s Abbey Lincoln’s lyric, uncredited here. It’s safe to predict that you’ll hear more versions of this song, properly credited, after other singers hear this one.
Haden’s full-strength instrumental lyricism shines everywhere, particularly brightly on “Que Sera,” “First Song,” and “Why Did I Choose You?” – all compelling remedies for listeners who abominate bass solos. Only for a moment or two in “Chickoree,” jointly composed by Haden and Hobgood, does the bassist’s solo sink into the slough of self-indulgence that enmeshes most improvs on the supersized fiddle. But wait, he’s setting us up for a welcome speed-up at the end, sprinkled with hints of the “Tennessee Waltz” from the keyboard.
Interspersed with the vocals and six duo tracks are two Hobgood solos. If pressed to apply a label to Hobgood’s highly original stylings, I’d call “Sanctuary” a gospel blues that evokes Keith Jarrett when he settles into that groove, while “Leatherwood” is more in the vein of Chick Corea’s acoustic work. Hobgood’s highly personal idea of dancing is perhaps clearest in his title tune, restoring the waltz tempo he dropped from the preceding “Que Sera” and, together with a gently swinging Haden, conjuring up the legendary interplay between Bill Evans and Scott LaFaro.
“Chickoree” has that same “When the Heart Dances” rightness when Hobgood steps on the accelerator, but it’s the closing offering, Don Grolnick’s “The Cost of Living,” that comes closest to the mesmerizing majesty of “Que Sera.” It’s a dark passionate tango, so deeply intense in its intimacy that one can easily imagine two dancers in the middle of the floor, frozen in mutual attraction and fascination, as the music plays on.
The actual recording location, the Roy O. Disney Music Hall in Valencia, has already received a shower of accolades from critics and concertgoers. Hosting the instrumentalists under chaste studio conditions, the Disney proves to be a wondrous silent contributor to this dance. |
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P+T
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Post subject: Today's the Day!
Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 2:26 am
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Couldn't find a photo of fireworks over the Roy O. Disney Hall at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Valencia, CA, so Manhattan will have to do.
When the Heart Dances has been officially released in the US today!
If you haven't already gotten a copy, we highly recommend it. We've played this many times since April and it keeps growing on us. 
Call your favorite radio station and request it. Should be in their new releases.
And now's the time to post some well-crafted reviews on Amazon. Rev? mjr? Others? You can always "repurpose" something you wrote earlier this spring. As Merridy said with Dedicated, people are more apt to make buying decisions based on Amazon reviews than those from jazz critics. So let out your "Inner Reviewer" and help LH sell some bright shiny discs  . |
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