Pablo Held - Elders (2013) [Hi-Res]

Elders is an album that contains an atmosphere of musical warmth. It is also where Pablo Held emerges from the shadow of his musical background. Everything sounds fresh, inspired, and tight. Elders presents an exciting and colorful musical world to discover, with music that revels in its beauty and surprising variety˜all for the listener's enjoyment. It reveals much of the past is hidden in the present˜and how the present can re-energize the past.

„Pablo Held, one of my favorite contemporary jazz pianists, display a singular blend of intellect and emotion on 'Elders,' an impressive showcase of these combined facets as well as a CD that contains an atmosphere of musical warmth. The loose approach allows Held a great deal of melodic freedom as he weaves in and out of chord foundations, unconcerned with key centers and the like.

The repertoire includes five originals composed by Peter Held (Pablo's father and himself a talented pianist) plus amazing reconstructions of Wayne Shorter's title track 'The Elders' (from Weather Report's controversial 'Mr. Gone'), Joni Mitchell's 'Marcie' (from her 'Song To A Seagull' album, whose title track was brillianty jazzified by Don Sebesky & Paul Desmond in the 70s, for Don's 'Giant Box' masterpiece), Frederic Mompou's 'Secreto' (from Impresiones Intimas No. 8') and Manuel de Falla's 'Nana,' a lullaby from the song cycle 'Siete Canciones Populares Españolas.'

Pablo Held's expressive capabilities are dramatized by his increasing easy with rhythms and sound-space placement. The contributions of all his musical partners on this trip are essential to the final brilliant results, and the presence of Ronny Graupe's acoustic guitar adds an extra color to the scores.

This is chamber-jazz in free space, sometimes with quasi-abstract pulsations, full of rhythmic sophistication, while the horns paint over the chords with striking inflections. 'Elders' presents a colorful musical world to discover, with music that revels in its beauty and surprising variety˜all for the listener's enjoyment. It reveals much of the past hidden in the present, and how the present can re-energize the past.“ (Arnoldo Desouteiro, Jazz Station)

Pablo Held, piano
Robert Landfermann, bass
Jonas Burgwinkel, drums
Jason Seizer, tenor saxophone
Domenic Landolf, alto flute
Ronny Graupe, acoustic guitar

Tracklist:
01. Pablo Held - Morning Hour (3:56)
02. Pablo Held - Hunters (4:55)
03. Pablo Held - Poem Number Five (4:49)
04. Pablo Held - Work Song (4:07)
05. Pablo Held - Secreto (5:49)
06. Pablo Held - Nana (9:26)
07. Pablo Held - The Elders (6:00)
08. Pablo Held - Pastorale (2:03)
09. Pablo Held - Marcie (4:54)