Driftwoods

iTunes Review

Pianist Ran Blake has long been associated with Third Stream, a genre spearheaded by Gunther Schuller that mixes elements of jazz and modernist classical composition. (Schuller created the jazz program at the New England Conservatory of Music, a school that has counted Blake among its faculty members.) The pianist is inspired by the sights and sounds of film noir and he also draws on blues and gospel to create his sui generis sound. His 2009 release, Driftwoods, is a solo piano tribute to American singers such as Billie Holiday, Hank Williams, and Nat King Cole. Blake’s interpretations of material associated with the vocalists are far from straight ahead, and it’s impressive how he makes the songs heady and strange yet preserves their emotional power. There are two versions of the old warhorse “Dancing In the Dark;” the first surprises with its dissonant outbursts while the other is meditative and spare. Blake also explores non-jazz pieces such as Milton Nascimento’s “Cancao Do Sol” and Williams’ country classic, “Lost Highway.” Driftwoods is a must for fans of solo piano.