An album of
ambient
jazz
from
Clay Giberson
, a Northwest-based pianist with some nice chops. The whole of the album is essentially an introspective exploration through the melodies and chords. It's an intimate sound, with
Giberson
performing solo for the duration, and the tone of the grand piano adding to the performance quality (the sound is mildly reminiscent of
Keith Jarrett
's work from time to time). The compositions are all originals for the album, running from the rather curious, to the rather flat end of the spectrum. The performance quality remains high regardless of the composition, and the tone is maintained as well, lending an added air of coherence to the proceedings. At times the music can start to drag on a bit (specifically in the trio of Meditation pieces), but on the whole it works well, though admittedly it's better suited for background music (you might hear it next time you're on hold, for that matter) than for close listening. It's a calm album without ever quite being relaxed, and an innovative album without ever quite breaking any molds. Listen for it in Muzak settings, but pick up
's previous albums before this one. ~ Adam Greenberg