Waltzing the Splendor

If the art of Georgia O'Keeffe appeals to you, so should the music of pianist Claire Ritter. For this, her ninth recording as a leader, Ritter is musically painting broad strokes of bright color, based in nature and beauty, like O'Keeffe. The entire project consists of short statements, concise and edited, like O'Keeffe. And similar to the artist she chose to emulate, Ritter's classical training melds with purely folk-based American sensibilities, the substance of which jazz is based. The pieces alternate between solo piano discourses or duets with the fine vibraphonist Jon Metzger, concentrating on introspective, sparse and lean notions. The title Waltzing the Splendor is perfectly rendered, in that where the typical 3/4 time signature is used, in many instances it is more specifically implied. This approach of light terpsichore is easily heard throughout. Variations include "Punch" which resembles the standard "I Hear Music," the more energetic, stride-flavored "Hot Pepper" in two takes as solo piano and vibes-bass duet, and the well-titled "Funky Feet." Bassist Dave Holland makes a cameo appearance in a solo performance of "In-Between." The other dissimilarity from the other cuts is "Four Part Serenade, Opus #23," dedicated to O'Keeffe, featuring cello, violin, piano and vibes weaving in and out of a neo-classical framework. Ritter's previous recordings have proven her to be a quite capable mainstream jazz player and interpreter. With this effort she is not only revisiting her classical training and further exploring her talents as a composer, but also searching deeply into her tender and quite substantive heart. ~ Michael G. Nastos, Rovi