“Greg took what he had and developed it very well,” Trotter says. Trotter is gratified with Reitan’s post-college trajectory. His whole system was geared to assimilating new material and playing very fast - in a good way.” But he had an interesting way of combining those different styles into his own. He was a combination of Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Bill Evans and other contemporary players. “Greg didn’t come from the mainstream tradition of jazz piano. “I was adjunct professor,” Trotter relates. While at USC, Reitan studied piano with jazz pianist Terry Trotter. When we get back together, that freshness allows new things to happen. “One of the best things we can do,” Reitan confirms, “is go on hiatus for awhile. The trio disperses to other pursuits before it convenes, opening the continual possibility of surprising new elements added to the music. From San Francisco, pianist Zeitlin asserts: “Greg has a particularly beautiful pianistic touch and a relaxed intensity to his playing that I think is quite special.” They’ll play the music of Bill Evans, Miles Davis and Denny Zeitlin in the Simon Theater. Reitan leads his trio of bassist Jack Daro and drummer Dean Koba at the Norton Simon on Saturday, in the museum’s summer music series. “I loved his touch,” Reitan enthuses, from his Los Angeles home, “his use of space and the elegance in his playing.” Echoes of the Jamal Trio’s swinging lyricism can be heard in Reitan’s playing today, though filtered through 50 years of subsequent jazz history. Likewise, his drummer does everything from whisper with the brushes on a ballad and fire complex fusillades that are simultaneously rhythmic and melodic on fast numbers.Ī Seattle native, 43-year-old Reitan was taken with the jazz of pianist Ahmad Jamal’s trio in grade school. Greg Reitan’s long-running trio has a bassist who’s a source of strong support yet one who leaves a fair amount of space for the lead voice.
For jazz pianists, the trio format affords some of the biggest challenges and rewards.
0 kommentar(er)
