GEOFFREY KEEZER

LIVE AT BIRDLAND

Markeez Records

Geoffrey Keezer, piano/arranger/composer; John Patitucci, bass; Clarence Penn, drums.

This is pianist Geoffrey Keezer’s first ‘live’ recording in more than fifteen years, and it was worth the wait. Joined by John Patitucci on bass and drummer Clarence Penn, this trio plays some familiar songs with a few of Keezer’s original compositions. Some of Keezer’s heroes are Wayne Shorter and Chick Corea. Consequently, this piano player has included compositions by both Corea and Shorter on his project, opening with Corea’s “High Wire – The Aerialist.”

“They are two of my musical heroes and kind of also human heroes. I loved that both of them were youthful, almost childlike, in how they approached life.  Even though they were doing incredible works of art and creating very complex music, they never took themselves too seriously.  They always had a great sense of humor,” said Keezer, who once recorded with Chick Corea earlier in his career, and subbed in Wayne Shorter’s quartet for several dates in 2009.

Patitucci opens the Chick Corea tune, “Eternal Child” establishing the lovely melody by caressing his double bass with the bow.  It’s quite beautiful.  Corea’s wife once shared with Keezer that her husband woke up from a deep sleep, crying as he put this song to paper. Geoffrey Keezer shares a boisterous, energy-driven piano solo during their presentation.  “Song of the Canopy” is an original composition by Keezer.  It shows his playful side and at the same time, reflects his lyricism and the intricacies that he hears in his head. I also enjoy the arrangement, that moves from playful to Straight-ahead about a third of the way through the tune. By the spontaneous audience applause, they loved it too.

“Both Wayne and Chick really encouraged me to compose.  They were always asking, are you writing something? And Chick especially would get annoyed if I wasn’t.  So, I really wanted to honor their wishes by including these two tunes on the record,” Keezer explained.

His other original closes this album out and is titled, “Madame Grenouille.” This tune is dramatic, up-tempo and showcases Keezer’s technical strengths at the piano. His two-fisted, unison, melodic solos are impressive.  Also, the evenness of his treble clef solos, with fingers flying but never losing the rhythm, is braggadocios. Clarence Penn takes an extended solo on drums and wows the crowd. The trio ends on a very high note.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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