| Jazz |
Dr. Geoffrey Dean and his quartet present here an album of supreme elegance. It must be said that Geoffrey Dean is not only an outstanding pianist but also an excellent educator. He has already published a book that is likely to captivate many composers and jazz enthusiasts alike. Titled Kenny Kirkland’s Harmonic & Rhythmic Language, this work offers an insightful exploration of modern jazz piano at the turn of the 21st century through an in-depth analysis of pianist Kenny Kirkland, based on six original transcriptions. Examining both his recordings as a sideman and previously unreleased trio material, the book highlights the remarkable breadth of his playing. Kirkland’s stylistic versatility and rich recording career allow for a comprehensive study of jazz language across multiple styles and subgenres, shedding light on the defining characteristics of advanced modern jazz piano performance.
Conceptions is, therefore, an album of great depth, a carefully considered work that bridges past and present while remaining resolutely contemporary in its arrangements. Entirely composed of original pieces by pianist Geoffrey Dean, it features the brilliant Harish Raghavan on double bass, Eric Binder on drums, and Justin Copeland on trumpet.
This album serves as a complement to the quartet’s first opus, Foundations. While Foundations paid tribute to the group’s musical influences, Conceptions presents a collection of ten original pieces—five penned by Dean, three by Copeland, and two by Binder. The album explores a broad spectrum of jazz styles, incorporating contemporary harmonies, varied rhythmic textures, and dynamic interplay across swing, straight-eighth, odd-meter compositions, and beyond. Dean, Binder, and Copeland first crossed paths while pursuing their doctorates in Jazz Studies at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Raghavan, a renowned bassist and exceptional musician, joined the quartet through his connection with Binder, completing the ensemble for their second album as a group.
Geoffrey Dean’s musical universe is one of deep romanticism, unafraid to reveal his profound knowledge of classical music—an approach that translates seamlessly into jazz. The piano here becomes a storyteller, weaving a rich dialogue with the double bass, while the trumpet, laden with poetic charge, delivers its responses with expressive clarity. This is an album to be listened to with full attention, allowing its compositions and arrangements to unfold in all their richness. Nothing here is left to chance; the sound is as significant as the form, each element blending into the other with remarkable fluidity.
Marguerite Yourcenar wrote in Alexis, or the Treatise of Vain Struggle: “Music transports me into a world where pain does not cease to exist, but expands, calms, and becomes at once more peaceful and profound, like a torrent transforming into a lake.” This very sentiment comes to mind when listening to Conceptions. Geoffrey Dean’s compositions reveal that notes, and the way they are written, are above all an intellectual pursuit—perhaps even a literary one. How, then, could this album not be placed among our Indispensables? Especially in an era where we so desperately need to fill our minds with things that elevate us, rather than diminish us.
Thierry De Clemensat
USA correspondent – Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, March 3rd 2025
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