Alone with Three Giants

Alone with Three Giants

ASIN: B0000004XX

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
It's not unusual for contemporary musicians to record tributes to Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington, but Marcus Roberts showed some character on this 1990 session when he extended his reach to include the relatively neglected Jelly Roll Morton in this solo invocation of the three great pianist-composers of jazz. His strong feeling for the early jazz versions of the blues is apparent in the performances of Morton's "Jungle Blues" and "New Orleans Blues." The feeling carries over directly into the early Ellington classics like "Mood Indigo and "Black and Tan Fantasy." Roberts plays Monk with a keen sense of Monk's roots in early jazz piano music, apparent in "Trinkle Tinkle," and there's also a refreshing look at some neglected Ellington in "Shout 'Em, Aunt Tillie." --Stuart Broomer

Tracks:

Jungle Blues
Mood Indigo
Solitude
I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
Trinkle, Tinkle
Misterioso
Pannonica
New Orleans Blues
Prelude To A Kiss
Shout 'em Aunt Tillie
Black and Tan Fantasy
Monk's Mood
In Walked Bud
Crepuscule With Nellie
The Crave

Amazon.com

It's not unusual for contemporary musicians to record tributes to Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington, but Marcus Roberts showed some character on this 1990 session when he extended his reach to include the relatively neglected Jelly Roll Morton in this solo invocation of the three great pianist-composers of jazz. His strong feeling for the early jazz versions of the blues is apparent in the performances of Morton's "Jungle Blues" and "New Orleans Blues." The feeling carries over directly into the early Ellington classics like "Mood Indigo and "Black and Tan Fantasy." Roberts plays Monk with a keen sense of Monk's roots in early jazz piano music, apparent in "Trinkle Tinkle," and there's also a refreshing look at some neglected Ellington in "Shout 'Em, Aunt Tillie." --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews:

Goes back to the roots of jazz.......2006-03-09

Marcus Roberts is a phenomial pianist whom I became familiar with through the likes of Wynton Marsalis. What strikes me most about his playing is that he never looses that stride feeling that cats like Jelly Roll Morton, James P. Johnson, and Fats Waller quickly became known for.

It's nice for a change to hear some unaccompanied piano playing, too.

A great album!

True Artistry........2000-02-01

Mr. Roberts came here in Rivercity some years back and I was fortunate enough to see him. I knew he was of the senior Marselis camp, but I didn't know what to expect from him....as he began to play, I was awestruck. He did mostly primal jazz and ragtime standards like Jelly Roll Martin, Scott Joplin rags and Ellington but with a twist. The 'twist' is his improvisational skills which make you totally forget you were perhaps listening to "Mood Indigo" when he began. At the end of the concert, I was speechless. In recent times, I saw him perform with Denver's Philharmonic one of my favorite Gerswhin's pieces "Rhapsody In Blue" and I found myself looking for him to cue the conductor for the orchestration because as I said, his improvising seems totally, totally different from the musical theme established. You get lost in the artistry. I had no success in finding any giveaways. For all it's worth, like I've said in many of my past reviews, ya gotta hear this, it'll blow ya away. I really mean it for Marcus Roberts. (If you could see him in concert, it'll knock you out, too.)

Roberts distinquishes himself with these classic pieces!.......1999-06-18

Marcus Roberts is one of the finest jazz pianist playing today. It is obvious where he gets his inspiration by the way he plays these classic pieces by three legends of jazz. Close your eyes and let Roberts' command of his left hand carry you back to when jazz was a mainstay in America's music repertoire. If Roberts continues to play with such brilliance, people will be recording his classic in the future. This is a great work to introduce your friends to the simple joys of jazz piano or to listen along with other seasoned listeners for the brilliant complexities displayed by Roberts. If one Marcus Roberts CD is all you need, this should be it. By I bet you'll change your mind and decide it won't be your last!

Jazz Music:

Jazz Music

Jazz Music