Frank Carlberg's Piano and Compositions Come to the Forefront in "Uncivilized Ruminations"

Frank Carlberg is not just a new jazz sort of fellow. He's doing something actually rather new. If you start with the sort of angular abstractions Steve Lacy and Irene Aebi used to do, you get a stepping off point for where the music on Uncivilized Ruminations (RPR Red Piano Records) begins. Unfortunately the graphic design of the CD jacket makes whatever is on it unreadable, a too common result when there is no art director around to tell you that white and light yellow type cannot be read when knocked out of a light grey screen. Luckily the press release gives me the info I need.

It's Frank pian-izing in very interesting ways; Christine Correa handling the vocals with confidence. Then there's a well chosen mix of excellent instrumentalists in Chris Cheek (reeds), John O'Gallagher (reeds), John Hebert (bass) and Michael Sarin (drums). Everybody brings out the implications of Frank's compositions with attention to the musical structure and improvisatory inspiration.

And these are compositions to spend time with, substantial post-Lacyisms with enough well-arranged complexity that you get more the more you hear them.

Frank Carlberg has dome something very worthy here. Hear!