Kapustin uses jazz as his musical language and then composes quasi-improvisations that sound as though they flowed right from Oscar Peterson’s or Erroll Garner’s fingers....

Kapustin uses jazz as his musical language and then composes quasi-improvisations that sound as though they flowed right from Oscar Peterson’s or Erroll Garner’s fingers. He is one of the few who were able to have the structures of composition and liberty of improvisation come together to such an organic whole. After his first successful release with the piano- and double concerto of Russian composer Nikolai Kapustin, Frank Dupree presents the original jazzy solo piano pieces of the still mostly unknown master, enlarged with bass and drums. The genres of jazz and classical music melt together into a fascinating new formation.

REVIEW:

Nikolai Kapustin has been described as ‘A Russian in Gershwin’s clothing’ and on listening to this disc it is immediately understandable as to why. Like Gershwin Kapustin was classically trained (by Alexander Goldenweiser among others) and never considered himself a jazz pianist though as he explained he had to become one to create and play his compositions.

All the selected pieces that German pianist Frank Dupree has put together for this disc were originally written for piano solo. Frank has cleverly used the piano’s left hand plus harmonic structure to form the double bass part while drummer ‘Obi’ Jenne does improvise upon the other two musicians’ product. All three musicians are at the top of their game here and make the most powerful case for the chosen material. The result is a hugely enjoyable disc of brilliantly scintillating jazz that has a smile on its face from beginning to end. I had come across the composer last year and enjoyed what I heard but can honestly say that the addition of bass and drums has lifted the compositions to a new level and made them more enjoyable and I believe will attract a wider audience. This can only do the reputation of Nikolai Kapustin a great deal of good and open up his other compositions to greater public interest.

21 of the 23 tracks on the disc are original compositions by Kapustin while the closing pair are his tribute to Ary Barosso’s Aquarela do Brasil and Kenny Dorham’s Blue Bossa. This is a delightful disc that will surprise and thrill every jazz piano fan who might not have thought a product of Soviet times could compose such life-affirming jazz.

--MusicWeb International (Steve Arloff)