Martial Solal-Solitude

It is wonderful gift to encounter an artist unknown to yourself, but cherished for decades by those with experience. A recent New York Times article by Nate Chinen spoke of the Algiers born and French citizen Martial Solal as a jazz pianist with, probably, no peers. And I, one who loves to delve into this beautiful music from both an artistic and historical perspective, had never heard of him. Never. Not even a slight recognition of his name. Given this dilemma, I immediately purchased a recent solo release entitled Solitude, on the Cam Jazz label. Recorded in April of 2005, when Solal was 78 years old, it seemed like a good place to start to try to understand and appreciate this brilliant technician and remarkable composer who has been compared to the great Art Tatum. The album is remarkable. His unique takes on standards such as Darn That Dream and On A Clear Day and complex originals such as Bluesine provide the listener willing to invest the time with a passionate, artistic portrait of aural beauty. The intricacies of his pieces offer a different perspective, or creative paradigm with each play of the record (or CD). Highly recommended.