Luke Parkin
Winter Journal
Pacific Music
http://www.lukeparkin.com

Michel Camilo
Rhapsody In Blue
Telarc
http://www.telarc.com

n his new CD, Winter Journal(Pacific Music), pianist Luke Parkin brings us a collection of original solo piano melodies that are both soothing and melodic. Drawing from his classical and new age influences, the music takes you to a peaceful place, somewhere far away from the chaos and noise of the city.

The CD opens with "Symphoricarpos"(Snowberry) , a melody based on a theme revolving around a minor G scale, following a somewhat simple progression. Parkin finds, in that limited format, space to hit just the right notes in a song that has that feeling of a morning with fresh snow on the ground, moments after the storm. He gives the same feeling in "Trevisia"(Snowflake Tree), this time going from a Bach-meets-Vivaldi theme. "Winter Solitudes" returns to the theme-based composition, this time using a variation on a C-minor key.

One of my favorite moments of the CD is "The Alitis", which begins simply simple melody, evolving into a Classical-meets-Middle-East mode throughout. The way that Parkin uses the piano to convey his message is quite amazing, and I surely can't wait until he makes a New York appearance at one of our fine concert halls.

Although Dominican-born Michel Camilo often records solo piano, on his new album, Rhapsody in Blue (Telarc), he has the backing of the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra as he performs two of George Gershwin's classical masterpieces in a homage to the city of New York.

Conducted by Ernest Martinez Izquierdo, the orchestra provides the best atmosphere for Camilo to work through Gershwin's jazz-inspired composition, which sets off with that well-known clarinet solo that begins from the lowest possible keys and rapidly evolves to higher and higher notes - the melody is often used to illustrate Manhattan at its most glorious (even Sex and The City borrowed from Rhapsody for one of its episodes).

Gershwin was obviously inspired by the music of his time (Charleston, blues) at the time he wrote "Rhapsody", and the feeling is not lost in Camilo's hands - he uses a lot of the composer's solo piano phrases throughout the piece (which lasts roughly 17 minutes), and the symphonic arrangement also respects the origins of the piece. Pay close attention as the tune reaches its 11th minute, as the orchestra breaks into a beautiful melody, and Camilo takes over in a great solo moment.

Completing the CD is yet another classical Gershwin piece, "Concerto in F", which the composer wrote roughly a year after "Rhapsody".

On this particular piece, Camilo takes an even stronger jazz approach, as this particular Concerto is even more influenced by the blues, taking a few liberties in "Prelude no. 2", where he finally takes a break and goes into an improvisational mode.

Rhapsody in Blue is both a fresh and respectful look into the lesser-known classical side Gershwin, and this album deserves full audience appreciation.

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Jazz and other beats(in four of the five boroughs!!!):

It's Carnaval in Brazil, but those who cannot leave our cold New York weather, you can find the next best thing: At Astoria's Made In Brazil, The Samba School For Social Justice will be performing sambas on Saturday, Feb. 25th. The club is located at 3548 31st Street, Astoria, Queens. (N train to 36th ave). Admission is $20 at the door, which includes a caipirinha, live carnaval drum ensemble, dancers, and capoeira. DJ Fabio Soul will also be spinning the best of

Brazilian music, and there will be a a televised broadcast of Carnaval live from Brazil. To get discounted $ 10 tickets, email brooklynsambaschool@earthlink.net (mention you saw the offer on this column) by 10am on Saturday. Those on the guest list must arrive by 10 PM.

On the same night, Bob Kaiser and his Friends perform at Staten Island's Adobe Blues. Bob Kaiser always presents a mix of modern and classical jazz, and the intimate setting of the club allows for a lot of interaction between band and audience. Set begins at 11 PM. Adobe Blues is located at 63 Lafayette Avenue, Staten Island NY 10301. Check them out online at http://www.silive.com/sites/adobeblues.

Brooklyn Fire Proof Gallery presents, beginning on Feb 26th, its On-Site Residency Program with audio/visual collaborative pair King/Diaz de León, who bring MTMI Lab, an environment functioning as a combination film set and workshop that experiments with expansions of research trials created for the practical application of psychokinesis and targeted remote viewing. MTMI Lab seeks to enlist willing viewers as test subjects in hybrid protocols containing the most statistically significant elements accessible to the public. For more information, visit http://www.brooklynfireproof.com

At the Blue Note, conga master Poncho Sanchez performs from March 2 - 5 in memory of the late Ray Barretto. He will be accompanied by George Ortiz (Ttimbales), Rene Camacho (Bass), Kye Palmer (Trumpet),Javier Vergara (Alto/Tenor Sax), Francisco Torres (Trombone), Alfredo Ortiz (Bongos/Tres) and David Torres (Piano). He performs in support of his new release, "Soul of the Conga". The Blue Note is located at 131 West Third Street in the Village. Sets are at 8:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.Tickets go for $35(table) and $20(bar).

At The Cornelia Street Cafe this week: On Wednesday, March 1st, Speakeasy: stories from The Backroom features James Braly; Brian Finkelstein; Gautam; Xeni Fragakis and Nikole Beckwith. The cover is $8. On Thursday, Mar 02. the Kresten Osgood Group features Charles Davis, saxophone; Ben Street, bass; Kresten Osgood, drums. Osgood has played with Sam Rivers, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Kurt Rosenwinkel and many others and is one of Scandinavias top players.

Look out for special guests. This is the first of three thursdays in February, March and April featuring Kresten Osgood. On Friday, Mar 03 The Ben Waltzer Group (Ben Waltzer, piano; Tony Malaby, saxophone; Chris Lightcap, bass; Joe Strasser, drums). The Cornelia Street Cafe is located at 29 Cornelia Street, NYC, New York between West 4th and Bleecker Sts, Greenwich Village (1,9 Subway to Sheridan Square; A, C, E, B, D, F to West 4th St) For more information, visit http://www.corneliastreetcafe.com