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Two-Time Grammy Nominee Geoffrey Keezer is the 'Heart of the Piano' on new Motema release
Legendary jazz pianist's first solo project in
13 years pays homage to some of his favorite artists from
legendary rock band Rush, Peter Gabriel and Alanis Morrisette
to jazz greats Hank Jones, Christian McBride and Donald
Brown
'In the universe of piano players that I have been exposed to over the years, Geoffrey has proved himself to be not only a superb technician and improviser, but also above and beyond this, a composer and conceptualist who can maintain the overall line and the DNA of the song in everything he plays. A musician's musician.' - Sting
Heart of the Piano
By Geoffrey Keezer
Motema Music
01 Limelight (Rush)
02 My Love Is Like A Red Red Rose (Robert Burns/Traditional)
03 Come Talk to Me (Peter Gabriel)
04 New York (Donald Brown)
05 Still (Alanis Morissette)
06 Suddenly I See (KT Tunstall)
07 Chirizakura (Geoffrey Keezer)
08 Lullaby For A Ladybug (Christian McBride)
09 Grunion Run (Geoffrey Keezer)
10 Take Time For Love (James Williams)
To Listen to the CD 
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On his first solo project in thirteen years, virtuosic
improviser Geoffrey Keezer is on a mission to redefine
solo jazz piano as a personal and interactive showcase of
melody, energy and groove. Of his many diverse projects,
'Heart of the Piano' is the most direct and focused
recording of Keezer's career. And, after more than 20 years
leading his various ensembles and collaborating with artists
from Art Blakey to Chris Botti to Sting, Keezer firmly states:
'Now it's time for me to be me!'
Geoffrey titled this album the
'Heart of the Piano' because 'this is home base for me -
where my heart is, where I find the most freedom.' For Keezer,
the biggest challenge going solo was selecting material
where he could 'generate enough rhythmic interest, enough
groove to keep it moving, to keep the ideas flowing.' The
end result is an album of ten divergent choices that 'are
not the most obvious choices for solo piano,' including
less familiar pop and jazz covers, a traditional melody,
and two original pieces of spontaneous improvisation in
the studio. These selections reflect the influences of early
role models, favorite rock bands, and even a chance discovery
via music site Shazam. Also informing his approach to solo
piano is Keezer's 'singular style of intellectually abstract
lyricism woven over exotically complex rhythms and harmonies'
(Jazz Police), with 'more than enough virtuosity and sheer
musical wit and intelligence to weave all of his apparently
disparate strands of influence into an original and compelling
whole' (Time Magazine), 'whose originality and gleaming
skills result in music that is fresh and fine beyond genre'
(Sunnyside Records).
'Heart of the Piano' opens with
Geoffrey's tightly textured arrangement of Rush's 'Limelight,'
paying homage to both his favorite rock band and the Hank
Jones album, 'Tiptoe Tapdance.' Drawing from folk tradition,
he included Eva Cassidy's version of 'My Love Is Like a
Red Red Rose,' noting 'that song is just so pretty and the
way she sang it would just break you down.' Interpreting
Peter Gabriel's 'Come Talk to Me' for solo piano meant,
'having enough happening to keep the groove going. Peter
always uses a lot of drums.' With the regal energy of a
big band and the frenetic pulse of the Big Apple, Geoffrey
takes off on mentor Donald Brown's 'New York,' written for
Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. Geoffrey includes the little-known
'Still,' the Alanis Morissette song that ran over the closing
credits of the 1999 film, Dogma. Covering pop music via
solo piano adds special challenges, he notes, 'because the
lyrics are so important.' Keezer stumbled upon K.T. Tunstall's
'Suddenly I See' via Shazam. 'I had never heard of the artist
or song. I loved the hook, the middle section, and the happy
little melody. I gave it a mixture of Brazilian choro and
mid-60s Coltrane quartet.'
What do ladybugs listen to as they find sleep? Surely
Geoffrey's slightly countrified, jaggedly swinging arrangement
of Christian McBride's 'Lullaby for a Ladybug' should do
thetrick. 'I played this song in Christian's band for nine
years, every night. This is a great tune that should be
a standard.' In the studio, Geoffrey created ten spontaneous
improvisations, from which two were selected for the album.
'Chirizakura' was inspired by Japanese cherry trees, 'when
pink blossoms fall like snow. It's so gorgeous.' He chose
to close the album with a gently syncopated and spacious
blues, 'Take Time for Love,' from an early mentor, the late
James Williams. Adding to the mix is the extraordinary sound
of the recording. 'Particularly for a solo piano album,'
states Keezer, 'it was very important the sound have pristine
clarity.' To capture this type of detail and accuracy, Keezer
recorded the album with one KMF Audio stereo microphone,
which produces an audio signal of unprecedented strength
and detail, reproducing a three-dimensional soundstage with
exceptional natural 'breath' and depth.
For 'Heart of the Piano,' Keezer also enlisted the services of another artist, San Diego-based Billy Martinez, whose paintings grace the artwork for the album and merchandising materials. Additionally, Martinez recently joined Keezer on stage in concert for a unique live-art improv piece. Due to the incredible response, look for Martinez to join Keezer for further music-art improvisations in concerts to be determined. Keezer will be on tour throughout the summer in conjunction with 'Heart of the Piano,' in addition to performances with Chris Botti worldwide.
Keezer's first solo recording,
'Zero One', was released in 1999 when the pianist was a
mere 29. Yet the Eau Claire, WI native, now 42, was already
a veteran performer, having taken over the piano bench for
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers after a year at the Berklee
College of Music. He felt it was time to reconsider the
solo piano format. 'I think I am a better pianist in general.
I have a lot more technical control over the instrument
- more subtleties, better touch and better sound. There's
just more life behind it, informing everything.' That intervening
life includes marriage, fatherhood, relocating to Southern
California, years as a sideman with Ray Brown, Christian
McBride and Chris Botti, and collaborations with Sting,
vibes master Joe Locke (Locke/Keezer Group), Hawaiian slack-key
guitarist Keola Beamer, Okinawan vocalist Yasukatsu Oshima,
guitar legend Jim Hall, and Locke and saxophonist Tim Garland
(Storms/Nocturnes), among others.
Keezer also has garnered
two GRAMMY Award nominations to date - Best Latin Jazz
Album ('Aurea') and Best Arrangement Accompanying a Vocalist
('Don't Explain' by jazz vocalist Denise Donatelli from
her album 'When Lights Are Low,' produced by Keezer and
nominated for Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2010). Geoffrey also
produced and arranged Donatelli's follow-up recording, 'Soul
Shadows', which received a second Best Jazz Vocal Album
nomination this year.
In commenting on his mentor, the late James Williams, Keezer states: 'He was very close to my heart and incredibly important in my life. I have a career in jazz largely because of him, or at least my career would have looked a lot different than it does.' And a solo piano album by anyone but Geoffrey Keezer would surely look a lot different than does Heart of the Piano!
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