Solid Colors: Piano Solos

Solid Colors: Piano Solos

Story's remarkable 1983 debut is the intellectual sister of Winston's <i>December</i>--a discursive series of solo piano improvisations that draw on the rich jazz harmony of pioneers like Bill Evans, Story's acknowledged chief inspiration. Yet <i>Colors</i> is almost minimalist next to Evans's more densely textured works--a spacious blend of polychords, breezy runs, and finely timed <i>sustenutos</i>, with an accessible spirit and memorable melodies--like the uplifting figure she plays over a simple descending bassline in "Hymn," or the indelible major-key main theme of "Things with Wings." More economical than Keith Jarrett, more florid and changeable than Winston, Story finds a compelling middle ground here between jazz harmony and classical technique, outside improv and sturdy songcraft, complex performance and inner stillness. <i>--James Rotondi</i>