Her Point of View

If you read the list of songs on Her Point of View without actually hearing the album, your reaction might be one of apprehension. Recorded in 1997 and 1998, this CD finds Olga Konkova tackling "Summertime," "Sophisticated Lady," and other warhorses that jazz artists have beaten to death over the years. You might be thinking, "Oh no, not those songs again." But here's the thing: Konkova doesn't play these standards in a conventional, predictable fashion. Like fellow pianist Walter Norris, Konkova really knows how to turn a familiar melody inside out. Others will finish playing the head before they really start to improvise; Konkova starts improvising the minute her fingers hit the keys. As a result, overdone standards like "Someday My Prince Will Come" and Thelonious Monk's "'Round Midnight" end up sounding as personal as Konkova originals like "Egberto" and "The Little Prince." Is Konkova an innovator? No, Walter Norris was doing this sort of thing long before her. But the Russian post-bopper does have her own sound — one that was influenced by Herbie Hancock as well as Bill Evans, Chick Corea, and Keith Jarrett. Another valid comparison is Ahmad Jamal. Her Point of View is an appropriate title for this CD, which isn't innovative but does have a certain freshness.