100 Greatest Jazz Albums: Taylor Eigsti- Let It Come To You

Concord

Release date: May 6th 2008

Availability: CD, MP3 Download, iTunes

23 year old Taylor Eigsti hits a new peak in an already remarkable career with "Let It Come To You".

Based around his working band (Taylor Eigsti (piano), Julian Lage (guitar), Rueben Rogers (bass) and Eric Harland (drums)) there are really two concepts, both successfully worked through. The first, encompassing the first seven tracks is to play mainstream jazz with more than a twist of originality. The second, taking up the closing four tracks, is to present a different side – self composed, more rock inspired music with a full, near orchestral sound. This is a revealing contrast, showing two quite different sides of the young pianist's creativity.

Stand outs in the mainstream jazz tracks include the opening vibrant piano trio version of Cole Porter's "I Love You"; an exceptional take on Pat Metheny's "Timeline" in which the working quartet is joined by Joshua Redman playing robust tenor sax blues; "Not Ready Yet", the Eels track from the album "Beautiful Freak", here transformed into a fine jazz filled lyrical ballad, and a reworking of Wayne Shorter's "Deluge" from the great sax player's album "Juju".

For the self composed material, Eric Harland plays rock inspired drums while Taylor Eigsti double tracks on "rhythm piano", piano and Fender Rhodes. The last three tracks - where Dayna Stephens, Ben Wendel (tenor saxophones) and Evan Francis (flutes) are added - are conceived together as "Fallback Plan Suite", a richly textured sequence that grows in stature the more you listen.

Overall, this is a further landmark in the career of one of the most gifted of the new generation of jazz musicians.

Download free sample track "Less Free Will" (Part I: "Fallback Plan Suite") here.

Or play it from here.