The latest release of one of my favorite jazz pianists is called Lynne Arriale Trio: Being Human. It is her 17th album as a leader. The pianist-composer is joined by double bassist Alon Near and drummer Lukasz Zyta. Lynne Arriale composed all eleven songs.
Order the audio CD, download the MP3 version or stream the album Being Human (accept all cookies to go directly to the relevant Amazon page; we receive a commission) from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr.
In the booklet, one can read that Being Human is dedicated to the things that define our better nature, and the those people who personify them. The album celebrates the ways our lives are enriched by passion, courage, love, faith, curiosity, soul, persistance, heart, gratitude, joy and again love. In an era of war, division and turmoil, Lynne Arriale’s original compositions offer an uplifting album. The eleven tracks convey a sense of unity and optimism.
Track 1, Passion, is dedicated to Greta Thunberg, whom Lynne Arriale describes as a young Swedish environmental activist who personifies passion by her unwavering determination to raise awareness about the causes and effects of climate change. Passion offers a fabulous, warm and lyrical sound, a burst of color and texture.
Track 2, Courage, is dedicated to the Ukrainian people heroically resisting the onslaught of Putin’s Russia. I see it in the continuation of Passion. The booklet underlines that the sound translates an iron-clad, implacable will, reinforced by drummer Lukasz Zyta’s backbeat and the trio’s polyrhythmic interplay.
I find the tracks 3 and 4, Love and Faith, contemplative. Lynne Arriale writes that love is the greatest force on earth, the heart and soul of empathy, compassion and altruism. Love helps us to nurture, uplift and connect. Lynne Arriale notes that Love evokes the purity and pristine simplicity of a Bach chorale. I would go more with her other description: melody lyricism, every dissonance enriches the composition’s harmonic palette.
Faith is described as a gospel composition, an honest work of art. Its folk-like melody blends smoothly with Lukasz Zyta’s half-time groove. Folk is not exactly what comes to my mind. But I agree that this is a perfect blend.
Track 5, Curiosity, dedicated to the mathematician and physicist Jacob Barnett, is more lively, spontaneous, unpredictable and surprising. Free improvisations honor the inspiring contributions to theoretical physics and advocacy for embracing differences and neurodiversity.
Track 6, Soul, honors the young poet-patriot Amanda Gorman, who made a call for unity of the American people one year after insurrectionists had stormed the United States Capitol. The composition’s visceral pulse is based on a triplet-based swing, grouped in fours, adding polyrhythmic color.
Track 7, Persistance, is dedicated to the young Pakistani women Malala Yousafzai, who moved hearts and minds around the world for her fight for every child’s right to be educated. She remains the youngest person ever to receive a Nobel Prize. The music of the Lynne Arriale Trio reflects the persistance that drives us toward and goal and captures the tenacious spirit of people who refuse to accept failure. Therefore, the trio engages in a compelling dialogue.
Track 8, the calm, warm and resolved Heart, is dedicated to the Chief Nurse at the Kharkiv Oblast Hospital, Khrystyna Lopatenko. Lynne Arriale develops a simple motive throughout her solo, while double bassist Alon Near continues this exploration with his improvation at the end.
Track 9, the introspective Gratitude, is dedicated to a young man who suffered severe physical disability caused by DMM, a neurovascular disorder, Mattie Stepanek. This poignant ballad is characterized by Lynne Arriale’s melodic piano play, Lukasz Zyta’s equally sensitive brushwork, and a lyrical solo by double bassist Alon Near.
Track 10, Joy, is dedicated to the professor, author and podcast host Brené Brown, famous for her work on shame, vulnerability and leadership. This lively, uplifting composition is played as a calypso. Exuberant solos by all three musicians leave listeners happy and full of energy.
Track 11 is a reprise of Love, this time played with ‘voices’, using a Yamaha Clavinova to create a choral effect.
I would sum up the 2024 album Lynne Arriale Trio: Being Human with the three words grace, class and style. Order this fabulous audio CD, download the MP3 version or stream the album from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr.
Her 17th album as a leader is on the level of her best recordings, namely With Words Unspoken (Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr) and Live At Montreux (Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.fr, Amazon.de), one of her many concerts I witnessed live.
Lynne Arriale. Photograph copyright © Andrea Canter.
Lynne Arriale. Photograph copyright © Andrea Canter.
This is the photograph ornating the CD album cover of Lynne Arriale Trio: Being Human. Photograph copyright © Kasia Idzkowska.
For a better reading, quotations and partial quotations from the Being Human booklet have not been put between quotation marks.
Lynne Arriale Trio: Being Human album review added on March 4, 2024 at 17:26 Swiss time.
