Chants – new album by American pianist Craig Taborn that was released last month by prestigious label ECM Records, got excellent reviews by jazz devotees and music critics.
We will disregard headlines that compare Taborn with Bach, but we have to mention that the New York Times did not spare praise as well while DownBeat called the talented Taborn a “visionary” and Financial Times used the word “impressive” in an article about the new release.
The album Chants was recorded with a trio consisting of bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Gerald Cleaver, with whom Taborn has collaborated over the past years on numerous projects. The repertoire is made of nine original compositions by the leader, written specifically for this lineup.
Taborn is present on the scene over two decades, he can be heard on albums by Chris Potter, David Binney, Tim Bern, Wadada Leo Smith, Roscoe Mitchell and many more. He performed at the Jazz Fest in 2004 as member of Susie Ibarra Trio, we also had the chance to listen to one other trio member at the 15th festival edition in 2011 – Thomas Morgan who performed with John Abercrombie Quartet.
The album Chants is Taborn’s fifth release as a leader, even though his music is present on more than 60 albums. ECM released Taborn’s successful solo album Avenging Angels two years ago.