Improvisation Diary 2020
Albany, 2022
8/10
Listen to Improvisation Diary 2020
The pianist and composer Allen Shawn went to work on these improvisations during the early part of the pandemic, and recorded them in people’s living rooms, on his phone and on a zoom recorder. The various locations give the listen a spontaneous feel, as we get a peek of the sketchbooks of this artist’s vision.
The aptly titled “Jaunty” starts the listen with upbeat and radiant keys that are as firm as they are lively, and the also appropriately titled “Almost A Waltz” follows with a calm pulse of mesmerizing, expressive song craft.
Further along, the bouncy and animated progressions of “Intersecting Points” is quite exciting, while “Lovely Love” is indeed romantic, and carries a rare intimacy with it.
Deeper yet, the charming and commanding presence of “C Major Obession” makes this one of the album’s best, and “Epilogue” exits the listen with a hushed beauty that possesses so much sophisticated and timeless playing.
A body of work dedicated to his son, Shawn’s ‘sketches’ are certainly more developed than you might think, and his heavy emphasis on blues and jazz nods is his highly creative and quite inviting.
Travels well with: Victoria Bond- Blue And Green Music; Qing Jiang- Dreamed Landscapes