Forget Not

After reading Stephen Anderson's extensive liner notes, which describe his classical training and his technical ideas for each of his originals, one might come away thinking that his music must be dry, overly clinical, and dull. Fortunately the complete opposite is true. Anderson offers a fresh new voice on the piano while not being shy to pay tribute in subtle ways to his influences. In addition to classical music (including Bartók), one can hear bits of McCoy Tyner (particularly on the thunderous "T'So Political"), Keith Jarrett (on a tasteful and restrained version of the date's lone standard, "For Sentimental Reasons"), and Chick Corea (during some of the more playful stretches). But most of the time Anderson sounds unlike anyone but himself. His very inventive playing on the medium-tempo blues "Mobiles" is a memorable high point as are the playfulness and surprising tempo changes on "''Em and 'Ems," the general interplay between Anderson and his rhythm section, and the very tasteful rendition of "For Sentimental Reasons." Stephen Anderson, who has been based in Dallas and currently is an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina, creates new music and improvisations that are full of life, energy, and fresh ideas. Highly recommended.