Alone at last
Tracklisting
Click on the titles to listen to a 30s excerpt.- Beatriz (Rocheman)
- Donna Lee (Parker)
- Strangers in the night (Kämpfaert)
- Jitterbug Waltz (Waller)
- La Puerta (Demetrio)
- Duc's blues (Rocheman)
- Dreamland (Rocheman)
- My romance (Rodgers)
- Over the rainbow (Arlen)
- Chromatic boogie (Rocheman)
- So Tender (Jarrett)
- Take the "A" train (Strayhorn)
- Sozinho(Rocheman)
- Song for Helen (Evans)
- On green dolphin street (Kaper)
Introduction
Manuel Rocheman was seething with impatience to go solo - the result exceeds all expectations.
Manuel Rocheman, in crafting this carefully premeditated piece, carries us off on a fabulous exploration. An adventure like this required supreme address : Manuel Rocheman has carried it off with panache, fastidiousness and virtuosity.
Both restrained and lyrical, he unfolds an exhilarating vista of his inner landscapes. Romantic corals, multi-coloured fish, vertiginous sea-floors and rare pearls pass by and delight us.
As the notes pass, whether a Fats Waller theme, a bossa nova or compositions, Manuel Rocheman enhances the standards, creates another universe, whips up surprises without letting up the pressure. The acceleration on Donna Lee virtually leaves you breathless - the pianist's virtuosity in the service of constant rich innovation to captivate the listener.
From harmonic inventions to ingenious new finds on melodies, Manuel Rocheman catches the breath of a few of the big names. His discourse irradiates the inspiration of Phineas Newborn, Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett and Michel Petrucciani.
But make no mistake, it is indeed the personal, immediately identifiable discourse of an inescapable pianist at the apex of his art. Alone at Last is a bedside disc - like Bill Evans' Alone in 1968. An inexhaustible mine of music. Listen on. Feel that inner rocking motion that gladdens the heart.
Press review
- Interview on the jazzvalley.com website (in French)
- Album review in Jazzmagazine (in French)