Year: 2008
Record Label: Concord
Style: Various Jazz Styles
Review: Pianist and composer Taylor Eigsti’s second release on Concord, and sixth overall, Let It Come To You, arrives in stores as the young 23 year-old two-time Grammy nominated artist is making a huge splash in the music world. The former child prodigy, he opened for David Benoit at the age of eight and at 12 opened for Diana Krall, has more recently been featured on the covers of Jazziz and Keyboard magazines and profiled on his own BET-J television special.
This, Eigsti’s latest CD, is easily his best. The fire and hard swinging harmonically ambitious elements all seen in his earlier work come to perfect fruition on the eleven cuts included here. So accomplished is Eigsti that tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman is forced to turn in what may be the most brilliant solo of his career on Pat Metheny’s “Timeline.” Eigsti pushes the saxophonist with such force of will, musical drive and extended chordal implications that Redman’s searing solo had to be as accomplished as the one he turns in for fear of anything less being an utter failure when compared to Eigsti’s musical passion.
Other tunes show the pianist’s ability to handle a wide variety of styles. The beautiful and popish ballad “Not Ready Yet” is touching, poignant and serious all at the same time; a difficult accomplishment to pull off under any circumstances, even more so with this song from The Eels. While Julian Lage’s work is good on this number, it’s on the cutting contest version of “Caravan” where he shines. His solo builds beautifully through a serious of unanticipated twists and turns before giving way to Eigsti’s rambunctious and heart-racing solo; you won’t believe the two handled lines he weaves all the while being driven and in total lockstep with some incredible bass and drum work. As if this isn’t enough his solo cadenza shines with the light of a million suns. Lage and Eigsti are so totally suited to each other it leaves one to wonder how great it would be to hear a duo only disc from the pair.
The rest of the album is more of the same; incredibly tasteful yet technically skilled piano played by an artist who has discovered his singular viewpoint and powerfully takes command. He’s only 23, what can be left for this incredibly talented musician that doesn’t make almost everyone else in the field stop dead and take notice. This will easily be on the Top 10 Jazz Discs of 2008 list.
Tracks: I Love You, Timeline, Not Ready Yet, Caravan, Portrait In Black And White, Deluge, Fever Pitch, Let It Come To You, Fall Back Suite: Less Free Will, Not Lost Yet, Brick Steps
Record Label Website: http://www.concordmusicgroup.com/
Artist's Website: http://www.tayjazz.com/
Reviewed by:
Thomas R. Erdmann
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