Quarantine Concert Series_#182: Bob Butta Solo Jazz Piano
Bob Butta
This is a recording of his live-streamed performance from our stage on Jan. 17, 2021.
You can still access a recording of Bob Butta's previous solo performance on our stage on July 12, 2020.
Bob Butta long ago established himself as a pianist deserving greater recognition. Now that he's released his first recording of straight-ahead jazz as a leader, he no longer has to rely on word of mouth to promote his talent and interests. The music on "Windows" speaks volumes.
Beginning with his own "C Minor Fantasy," a lovely melding of Bill Evans's "We Will Meet Again" and Cedar Walton's "Holy Land," it's clear that Butta isn't one to emphasize technique at the expense of taste. He brings to this imaginative jazz suite an overriding sense of logic, lyricism and form. As the album unfolds, and he aggressively explores Oscar Pettiford's "Blues in the Closet," captures the bright vistas evoked by the album's Chick Corea-penned title cut, and tenderly reprises "I Loves You Porgy," Butta never fails to communicate just what it is about these themes that he found so attractive in the first place, whether it's something soulful, vibrant or powerfully haunting.
Streaming cost is $10
Donations are welcomed.