Gary Brunotte's third recording is a tribute to his departed cat, Dexter. Perhaps this recording should be entitled Smile Twice as the title tune, Charlie Chaplin's Smile, is presented in two quite different arrangements.
Included bonus: a 2006 cat calendar (available separately) with photos taken by Gary's wife, Carol.
From writeup at Amazon.com:Pianist/composer Gary Brunotte brings new life to the great jazz standards and dazzles with his original compositions, extending rather than just re-creating tradition. The intimate setting of a trio is the perfect vehicle for Brunotte's sensitive touch on the keys. Bill Berg accompanies on drums and Steve Haines plays acoustic bass. Smile is Brunotte's most ambitious recording since his debut CD with Eric Marienthal over a decade ago.
Smile is a piano trio album of mostly original tunes (with a couple of vocals). This is the kind of sound that I seek out when I go to hear live music, so I am absolutely delighted with this addition to my collection.
Gary's influences include Bill Evans, McCoy Tyner, Brasil '66, BST and Jimmy Smith. Gary was an organist before he switched to piano. You might catch a few whiffs of Hammond B-3 (sneaky).
First impressions are lasting. Right away I noticed the tight work between bass and piano, playing as one, reading each other's thoughts, almost as if the bass were being played by Gary's left hand (or pedals on an organ). The drumming is pleasingly understated, subtle, decorative, yet definitely part of the scene. There are no pretensions on this album, just solid tasty music.
The liner notes tell us that Gary lived in Wood Lake, which is a district of Durham, NC.
For this song I have imposed my mental images of Wood Lake in Richfield, MN, a serene pristine gem of a nature center. I went for many lunch-break walks at Wood Lake with it's floating bridge and always left relaxed and refreshed. For me, this reflective song has the same rejuvenating effect.
Perhaps you have your own Wood Lake to picture with this lovely piece that greets you at Gary's Flash presentation.
I got my CD direct from Gary. It arrived in a couple of days and included an extra page of album info that you are not likely to get from the other sources. In addition, I had the pleasure of exchanging some emails with Gary, so I feel that I got to know him personally. How cool is that? The man is as warm as his music.
Thanks for the warm fuzzies, Gary!
Try before you buy. Listen to Gary's mp3 clips at his website and at CDBaby.
This is my second album review. Ask yourself, "How often am I moved by someone's music that I have to let other people know about it?".
* Gary has his own unique style, so I hope he doesn't mind the comparison to Manfredo Fest, but from me it is extremely high praise. Manfredo played with Brasil '66 in the '60's. Later, Manfredo lived in the Twin Cities for some time and had a huge influence on the local jazz scene. He became a dear friend and he will always be my favorite pianist.
© 2006, Gnubee
(a jazz fan in Minnesota)