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Press
Piano man Michael Bluestein offers a wonderfully diverse trio CD, complete with interesting pop cover tunes, standards and originals. Joined by Jon Evans on acoustic and electric bass and the ever-present Jason Lewis on drums, the trio offers up jazz renditions of material from Steely Dan ("Black Cow"), Simon & Garfunkel ("Bridge Over Troubled Water"), Cat Stevens ("Wild World"), and even Led Zeppelin ("10 Years Gone"). The altered chords on "Wild World" gives a whole new take on the well-known song. Bluestein flexes his piano muscles with the addition of McCoy Tyner’s "Effendi," and the trio romps straight-ahead with the Arlen/Mercer tune "My Shining Hour." Many of the original tunes, such as "Natoma" and "Vista," are played on a Fender Rhodes electric piano, giving an airy, slightly funky feel to the music, a la Chick Corea during the electric Miles era. (MH) - MH
....Bluestein's trio, with acoustic and electric bassist jon Evans and drummer jason Lewis, moves fluidly here from the pop of the Cat Stevens title track, Paul Simon's "Bridge Over Troubled Water", Steely Dan's "Black Cow", and Led Zeppelin's "Ten Year's Gone", to the standard "My Shining Hour", McCoy Tyner's driving "Effendi", and a half dozen originals that similarly reflect Bluestein's diversified portfolio of influences.....Bluestein beguiles with a fine balance of chops and straight-ahead ideas. - Derk Richardson
Michael Bluestein is a musician of many parts. On any given night, you might find him accompanying cabaret chanteuse Jacqui Naylor on piano, laying down gritty funk grooves on Hammond B-3 organ with guitarist Will Bernard's Motherbug, or offering harmonically deft support to the hard-charging acoustic jazz quartet led by tenor saxophonist Mike Zilber and drummer Steve Smith.....The new trio album reflects Bluestein's interest in incorporating the pop music he grew up with into a jazz context. - Andrew Gilbert
Discography
Michael Bluestein Trio "Wild World" CD
Michael Bluestein "Reflections" CD (EP)
Photos
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Bio
Keyboardist Michael Bluestein has made a name for himself in the Bay Area playing with artists such as guitarist Will Bernard, drummer Steve Smith, saxophonist Anton Schwartz, and vocalist Jacqui Naylor. He has also toured with Grammy Award winning artist Shelby Lynne, and Linda Perry of 4-Non-Blondes.
Michael’s new CD, "Wild World" has been described as "wonderfully diverse" –jazzwest.com. He offers up tasteful arrangements of classics like Steely Dan’s "Black Cow", Paul Simon’s "Bridge Over Troubled Water", Cat Stevens’ "Wild World", and even the Led Zeppelin chestnut "Ten Years Gone". His original tunes are very groove oriented. Tunes like "Vista", "Natoma", and "Pulsar" are grounded in funk and drum ‘n bass rhythms, while "The Glow" and "Ode To A Song" recall the pioneering work of 70’s era Keith Jarrett on the ECM label.
Michael is a graduate of Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts where he received a degree in piano performance. He resides in San Francisco.
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