Ivory Forest Redux
Origin, 2022
9/10
The esteemed pianist Hal Galper brings us a remastered reissue of his late ‘70s masterpiece, Ivory Forest, and this updated version enhances John Scofield’s guitar, Wayne Dockery’s bass and Adam Nussbaum’s drums, too.
The title track opens the listen with a light mood of agile keys, dreamy guitar and well timed drums in the very meticulous and adventurous climate, and “Continuity” follows with a sublime intimacy that showcases Galper’s finger acrobatics front and center.
In the middle, “My Dog Spot” flows with a swift and dynamic song craft that will be forever timeless in its free jazz exploration, while “Monk’s Mood” trims the pace and volume back with a reflective tone of beauty thanks to Scofield’s intricate guitar prowess. “Rapunzel’s Luncheonette” exits the listen, and is full of lightning quick piano, frisky drums, and fluid guitars in the powerful and creative finish.
An album that still sounds so relevant and technical 40+ years later, Galper sure has done us a favor by reissuing some of his best work.
Travels well with: Rodney Whitaker- Oasis; Eric Jacobson- Discover