JULIAN SHORE

SUB ROSA

Chill Tone Records

Julian Shore, piano/composer; Martin Nevin, bass; Allan Mednard, drums.

Opening with a composition called, “Messenger” Julian Shore sets the mood for his new album, “Sub Rosa” with a tune that could have been the backdrop of a mystery movie.  Sub Rosa is an adjective representing something happening or done in secret.  The pianist and composer offers an original collection of songs that communicate clandestine, secretive and well-written original music.  It’s an album that grew out of two-years of constant camaraderie and evolution with his two band mates, Martin Nevin on Bass and drummer, Allan Mednard.

The titles of these original tunes on his second album could easily be the chapters of his life.  From “Messenger” he moves to “Mission.”  During this arrangement, Nevin unveils his bass chops during an awesome solo.  Shore’s compositions are well written, but often cross the line into the abstract, like the painting on his album cover by Tayo Heuser. But may I suggest to your graphic designer, the print font is way-too-small!

“I’ve grown up around abstraction my whole life.  So, I’m comfortable with it. I think that’s what drew me to jazz in the first place. I enjoy the play between the abstract and the concrete,” Shore stated in his publicist’s ‘One Sheet.’

A composition called “Must Keep Going” gives Allan Mednard a sound stage to showcase his drum skills. The song sounds like something a vibraphonist would love to play.  Shore’s tinkling piano introduction parts the curtains for Mednard to walk through and hypnotize us with his drumming technique and improvisation. During this flare of drums, shore adds the fluttering of treble notes, that sound like bird songs.

“There’s something special about taking what could be seen as a simple song and then twisting it with … eruption of expression,” Julian Shore stated.

Wayne Shorter is one of Julian Shore’s mentors. The pianist spoke about what he learned from Shorter.

“Wayne almost never spoke about his music with specificity.  He was always concerned with the unknown and the beauty within. … He tended to give his compositions enigmatic titles that allow the listener to discover a personal relationship with the title or the music itself.  I miss that magic a little bit when projects become too conceptual.”

Perhaps you can best explore Shore’s concept by listening to the trio’s expert presentation of the familiar “All the Things You Are” tune.  It exhibits the pianist’s chemistry with his musical partners, Nevin and Mednard, as they dissect and reconstruct the familiar into the abstract. The melody comes peeping out of this unique arrangement like the tiny bud of a flower hiding beneath thick, musical leaves. Martin Nevin’s double bass walks like a fleeing man across a crowded freeway, darting and dodging inside the arrangement. Shore’s wonderful piano solo soars. The pianist’s own bass notes and melodic flavor slowly weave into an extraordinary bass solo by Nevin. The tune stops on a dime, with a conclusion that both shocks and surprises.

This is beautiful, creative jazz.  Tunes like “Don’t Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)” made me want to fall in love all over again.  This trio oozes sensitivity and brilliance.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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