CHRIS GALL — Impressionists Improvised (review)

CHRIS GALL — Impressionists Improvised album cover Album · 2025 · Third Stream Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
js
One of the more profound and lasting fusions in the world of music over the last 100 years has been the mutual influence and blending of jazz and la musique classique. Since the 1920s and beyond, jazz has borrowed from composers such as Debussy and Ravel, while the French composers likewise have borrowed heavily from jazz. From Duke Ellington and George Gershwin, up to Bill Evans and Herbie Hancock, plus many others, the convergence of African rhythms and performance practices with French harmonic content have given us a century of great music that shows no sign of abetting. On his latest album, “Impressionists Improvised”, pianist Chris Gall does a deep dive into some well known French classics and plays them as a jazz pianist would, with room to improvise within the spirit of the piece. Gall’s playing can recall some greats of the past from Art Tatum up to Keith Jarrett, but possibly the strongest influence you may hear is a Brad Mehldau like blending of post bop with contemporary art pop.

(This review is based on the vinyl album version). Side one opens with some very well known pieces, some of these compositions have been over played over the years, but Gall’s careful improvs breathe new life into old concert war horses such as “Claire de Lune”, “Reverie” and “Pavanne”. Side one closes out with a Gall original, “Satiesfaction”, in which one can hear the classic French influence on today’s contemporary piano sound that also draws from art pop such as Radiohead and Brian Eno.

Side two gets into less familiar, and also ‘jazzier’ territory. Satie’s “Gnossienne no 2” is given and old school Art Tatum style jazz workout and if used in a blindfold test, would probably have people guessing that it’s a jazz standard they never heard before. The two pieces that follow, one by Debussy and one by Ravel, are the most ambitious tracks on the album and take the listener on quite a journey. The Debussy piece in particular builds to an almost rock-like crescendo, is that a bit of Keith Emerson tribute you might wonder. The album closes out with another Gall original and Satie’s “Gymnopedie No 1”.

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