Lynne Arriale – ‘Being Human’

(Challenge Records CR 73572. Album review by Bruce Lindsay)

In recent years, pianist and composer Lynne Arriale has produced music that reflects what she sees as the social turmoil and division now present in the world. Chimes of Freedom, from 2020, focussed on migration and refugees; 2022’s The Lights are Always On emerged from the Covid pandemic. Being Human, recorded in July 2023,is Arriale’s seventeenth album as leader and continues this approach. It’s credited to the Lynne Arriale Trio, which is completed by bassist Alon Near and drummer Lukasz Zyta and, as the title suggests, the music focuses on what the album notes call “qualities we all share that define our humanity.” It’s a focus made even clearer by the titles of the ten compositions: “Passion,” “Courage,” “Faith” and so on, and by Arriale’s decision to dedicate each tune either to a specific individual or to humans collectively. Hence “Persistence” is dedicated to Malala Yousafzai, “Passion” to Greta Thunberg, “Courage” to the people of Ukraine.

Such a diverse range of dedicatees is reflected in the equally diverse music. There are slow tempo tunes such as “Gratitude,” with Alon Near’s bass solo at its heart, or “Faith,” with its gentle combination of gospel and folk musics, and there are more uptempo numbers such as the flowing and melodic “Heart” and the propulsive, energetic, “Persistence.” “Love,” dedicated to “humankind,” appears in two forms. First time around it’s a trio performance of great subtlety and lyricism. Second time, Arriale performs solo, using a Yamaha Clavinova to create a choral effect that comes across as artificial and somewhat unsettling. It seems odd to use artificial human sound on a track dedicated to humankind, an anomaly on a recording that’s otherwise characterised by genuine, empathetic, human interaction.

Three tunes stand out for their immediately engaging positivity. “Curiosity” is dedicated to Jacob Barnett, a young mathematician and physicist. It’s a skittish, jagged, little tune, full of playful exploration as all three musicians improvise after the brief opening melody, a tune that for me conjures visions of kittens or puppies in energetic play rather than the earnest study of a scientist but may well be a reflection of Barnett’s own personality. “Soul” is a gentle but uplifting number, its seemingly effortless swing combining with a strong melody. “Joy” is just that, four minutes of calypso-based jollity that hits from Zyta’s first flourish on percussion and carries on to the final bar. 

from https://londonjazznews.com