Emily's Song

A nice album of modern jazz for solo piano from journeyman Alex Clements. There are a lot of tones of Bill Evans sprinkled throughout Clements' playing style, some direct and obvious (Clements' "Song for Ethan," written to his young son, has echoes of themes in Evans' "Waltz for Debbie," also for a young child) and others less tangible. After "Song for Ethan," the album moves to "Inspired By," which moves back and forth between a recurring Latin theme (the song started as a Brazilian composition) and something of a jazz fugue. The title track combines a pensive mood with more of the influence of Evans, and "Pieces of Dreams," the first of a pair of Michel Legrand numbers, comes across as something of a department store piano piece — seemingly sterile jazz. A bit of bossa nova in "Dinner for Two," and some outstanding emotive work on "I Loves You Porgy," Clements' stated homage to Evans (modeled after his classic rendition) — this track could be coming directly from Miles' classic Porgy and Bess album. Another Legrand number comes off somewhat forgettable, but the album closes on a hint of Clements' non-jazz training with a worthwhile jazz waltz. Clements' piano skills are impeccable, and can hit the listener with power and emotion at times. This happens primarily on Clements' self-penned numbers however — other composers tend to come across less successfully. Clements' skills in composition are perhaps the real star here, with outstanding pieces throughout the course of the album, played by the man closest to their underlying motives.