Adam Shulman - Just the Contrafacts (2022) [Hi-Res]

The latest album from San Francisco born and now New York City based pianist Adam Shulman brings him together with a sextet of accomplished players including Billy Drummond-drums, Peter Washington-bass, Jeremy Pelt-trumpet, Grant Stewart-tenor saxophone and Cory Weeds-alto saxophone. Recorded at the holy grail of jazz recording studios, Rudy Van Gelder’s in Englewood, New Jersey the seven-track album features all new Shulman compositions written over classic forms and structure of standards from the great American songbook.

Here's what Adam has to say:

Just The Contrafacts was a project borne of the 2020 lockdown. I was stuck at home and unable to play with other human beings. As the months dragged on, I needed some kind of musical outlet. I started giving myself the exercise of writing contrafacts; that is writing new melodies over the chord structure of standard tunes from the Great American Songbook. It was something to keep my mind occupied and my creativity active in the absence of gigs. After writing a fair number of melodies, I thought it would be fun to write sextet arrangements and as I started doing this, I thought “why not make this into an album?”

Being a mental escape of sorts from the tedium and anxiety of the early lockdown period, I gravitated towards humor and whimsy in these pieces. The world for me was heavy enough and I was using music as a way to sooth myself by playing around and having fun. A lot of the titles of the tunes reflect this attitude. The title and cover also point to escapism to a different time and a tongue-in-cheek nod to film-noir. I hope, dear listener, that some of this fun and light-hearted-ness comes through and can serve as a balm for your soul in these strange times

Adam Shulman – piano
Peter Washington – bass
Billy Drummond – drums
Jeremy Pelt – trumpet
Cory Weeds – alto saxophone
Grant Stewart – tenor saxophone