
Gregory Rogove - Piana
(CD/LP/Digital) Knitting Factory Records, 2012-01-31
Claude Debussy is a major inspiration for musicians of every faith in popular music. Debussy's seeds can be found in bossa nova, pop or contemporary jazz music from Antonio Carlos Jobim to Ryuchi Sakamoto, from Chilly Gonzales to Joe Henry just to name a few. And now young and talented multi-instrumentalist Gregory Rogove (Megapuss, Priestbird, Devendra Banhart) join this growing number of disciples. Piana (the female for piano?) is a moving collection of mere compositions for piano solo in the manner of the french masters - Debussy, but also the most eccentric pianist of all, Erik Satie. It's brilliant, often melancholic, sometimes funny, and it reminds us of the music played live over the silent movies in early cinema. John Medeski (of Medeski Martin & Wood) is the one and only guest musician on the record, but do not expect sick and mean hammond grooves à la MMW this time. John plays only the piano, and it's an amazing opportunity to hear him as we've never heard him before (except maybe on Marian McPartland's show). But why on earth did Gregory Rogove ask John Medeski to play on his record when he could have performed his own music? Yes, why?
"I asked John Medeski to perform the pieces for a number of reasons. First of all, he is a master performer with a very intimate knowledge of the instrument - something that I am not. Secondly, I thought that it would be interesting to capture the subterranean intensity of having a virtuosic improviser perform simple, composed pieces. Lastly, he's kinda cute" Greg said. The CD comes with a DVD featuring convincing remixes from The Bees, Billy Martin and Devendra Banhart among others.
































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