Reviews, Reviews
Ran’s recent works received a number of favorable reviews this month.
In the Ottawa Citizen, Peter Hum included The Primacy of the Ear in an article titled “Three Gift Ideas for Jazz Bookworms.” He called the book “a lucid, compelling read for students of jazz esthetics and practice” and said the book “fascinates with its considerations of how musicians develop their own voice and the questions of style.” You can read the full article here.
Ran’s most recent CD, Whirlpool, a duet with vocalist Dominique Eade, received two more positive reviews this month. Excerpts follow:
JazzTimes, Christopher Loudon: “When Blake indulges his penchant for film-noir atmospherics, as on “My Foolish Heart,” Eade provides ideally sly and shadowy responses, expertly playing the cunning Bacall to his Bogart. When she reinvestigates her own, hymnlike “Go Gently to the Water,” Blake paves the way for a freshly ethereal reading. Full review.
Jazz Society of Oregon website, George Fendel: “There are very few singers who could pull this off without sounding pretentious and over the top. But Eade indulges in neither. Instead, she perfectly puts forth these new creations as though she means every word. And Blake is right there ‘conversing’ with her in nearly surreal alignment.” Full review.
Another CD, Grey December, a live album released by Tompkins Square, was reviewed on the Italian version of AllAboutJazz by Stefano Merighi. The review is here.
And finally, a few other recent articles feature or mention Ran. The Boston Globe highlighted Ran’s contributions to two recent concerts at the New England Conservatory. Here’s the paper’s preview of Ran’s annual Halloween concert, and here’s a review of the November 29 tribute to composer Gustav Mahler. And last July, the French magazine Bibliotheque(s) included a lengthy feature on Ran by P.L. Renou titled “Un Homme En Noir.” The story is in French and it’s not available on line. If you’d like to translate it for Ran’s benefit, please contact him at ran@ranblake.com.
