Preludes
New Amsterdam, 2025
9/10
The Grammy winner Teddy Abrams returns with 16 pieces that take inspiration from classical work such as Bach’s Inventions and Bartok’s Mikrokosmos and are fleshed out via his strong compositional language.
The cozy mood of the reflective “Microcosm” starts the listen with much grace, and it isn’t long until the atmospheric “The Scream” enters with waves of ambience.
Close to the middle, “Combined Species” radiates a cinematic quality via the precise fingers, while “Found Material” moves softly, intimately and with a warm spirit that’s heartfelt.
Arriving near the end, “Pyotr” rumbles a bit in its meticulous execution that’s also pretty, and “Macrocosm” exits with the swirling keys radiating tremendous melodies and no lack of timelessness.
Abrams works with Gabriel Kahane and Casey Foubert on the production and recording side here, and together they create an introspective, harmonic and sometimes manipulated affair that resonates long after the music stops.
Travels well with: Juri Seo/Latitude 49- Obsolete Music; Alex Paxton- Delicious