Pianist Denny Zeitlin is probably best known as the composer of Quiet Now, a ballad that Bill Evans played often. He also is known for a series of sterling and adventurous albums for Columbia at the start of his recording career—Cathexis (1964), Carnival (1964) and Shining Hour (1965). He also was on Jeremy Steig's Flute Fever in 1963, Denny's first recording session.
But Denny's work over the years has branched out in many different directions in the solo, electronic duo and trio formats. If you're unfamiliar with Denny's music, his new album, Panoply (Sunnyside) is a perfect entry point that provides a fulsome helping of all three. For this release, Denny dipped into his archives of previously unreleased material and came up with winners.
His solo selections on acoustic piano were recorded in December 2012 at the Piedmont Piano Co. in Oakland, Calif. They include Only One, a moving ballad by bassist Bill Lee; a tumultuous approach on the jazz standard Cherokee that shows off his fevered imaginative and powerful technique; and a brooding original, Limburger Pie and Beeswax Crust, which Denny says in his notes has no meaning other than the words sounded interesting. [Photo above of Denny Zeitlin]
Denny's duo studio works with drummer-percussionist George Marsh are what he calls "electro-acoustic spontaneous compositions." The five pieces here are Excursion, Music Box, Ambush, Regret and A Raft, A River. Admittedly, it took me until this album to fully understand and appreciate Denny's electronic art, since I was so accustomed to his acoustic work. Now I can hear the layers and judicious use of electronic and acoustic instruments in the same song. [Photo above of George Marsh]
The trio selections with bassist Buster Williams and drummer Matt Wilson were recorded at New York's Mezzrow jazz club in May 2019. His choices are Gershwin's I Was Doing All Right, I Should Care, Miles Davis's Weirdo and Billy Strayhorn's Johnny Come Lately. This format is both familiar ground for Denny fans and a springboard for fascinating chord voicings and densely textured interpretations. [Photo above of Buster Williams]
If you're new to Denny, my suggestion is to listen to this album first, then listen to Denny's three Columbia albums followed by his synth explorations—Riding the Moment, Telepathy, Expedition, Both/And: Solo Electro-Acoustic Adventures and The Name of This Terrain. [Photo above of Matt Wilson]
As Panoply demonstrates, Denny is one of the finest and most imaginative jazz keyboardists around today. Most rewarding are his swan dives into artistic confrontations and the keyboard architecture he creates on his electronic works.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Denny Zeitlin's Panoply (Sunnyside) on CD here and digital download here. It's also can be found on most major streaming platforms.
JazzWax clips: Here's Cherokee as a solo work, one of the most glorious versions of this jazz warhorse...
Here's Excursion with George Marsh on drums...
And here's what Denny does, with bassist Buster Williams and drummer Matt Wilson, on Johnny Come Lately...
JazzWax notes: For my JazzWax interview with Denny, go here for Part 1, here for Part 2, here for Part 3 and here for Part 4.
For my JazzWax interview with Denny on the writing of Quiet Now, go here.
Bonus: Here's Denny playing I-Thou in 1964...
And here's Denny playing his composition Quiet Now...
