| Jazz |
There are albums that barely out of their sleeve start speaking to you, such is the case with the new album by composer and pianist Kelly Green, whose swirling cover already announces that you are likely to be surprised. Surrounding Kelly Green, we find Evan Hyde (drums), Luca Soul Rosenfeld (bass), and Elijah J. Thomas (flute), with special appearances by the masterful Rich Perry (tenor saxophone). The album title, ‘Seems,’ is a synecdochic representation of a broader mantra: ‘Things are not what they seem; upon closer inspection, everything is one.’ This statement carries several layers of meaning, referring to a broader societal interpretation and a more personal view of Green’s music. Indeed, while the composed music is decidedly contemporary, the delicately retro vocals remind us of a sort of bas-relief that aims to provoke both our intellect and our vision, which is the case here.
For Green, ‘Seems’ represents much more than just a music album; it’s a recorded declaration of hope, an optimistic manifesto, and a call for harmony among human species, both with each other and with the world we inhabit. ‘The illusion of separation seems to prevail,’ explains Green. ‘Between groups of people, the human race and the natural world, and individualized souls and the unifying Spirit. This album is an expression of my desire for unity and an attempt to exemplify it through our love for each other and for our audience.’
Such noble values for an album much more complex than it appears; undoubtedly, ‘Seems’ will not please everyone, musically demanding and radical, musicians of this quality can only disrupt, which is what I have always appreciated in the books of Marguerite Yourcenar, following the author’s imagination, in all its singularity, is also the case here with Kelly Green’s compositions. You think you’re settling into a track, until one of the instrumentalists takes over and sketches out their universe, the author’s will. Elijah J. Thomas is an impressive, formidable flutist because this kind of musician can disrupt all protocols and land on their feet with a smile, bewildering but totally enjoyable! And Green starts talking about her musical production, ‘It may seem to some people that my production as an artist is only one thing, whether vocal or instrumental, traditional or modern, composed or improvised,’ says Green. ‘However, my music encompasses all these musical subsets. The open-mindedness and versatility of the band’s musicians are what connect these seemingly opposite elements.’
It’s perfectly summed up, ‘Seems’ is an album of incredible class with musicians you’ll instantly adore as long as your intellect allows it, that is, only on the sole and unique condition that your culture is extremely broad, under this sole and unique condition, this album will open up to you and make you terribly joyful because art is also that, when intelligence is evident on every page, a feeling of immense happiness overwhelms us and that’s the case with ‘Seems’, as charming as it is indispensable.
Thierry De Clemensat
USA correspondent – Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, February 21st 2024
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