Denman Maroney is most often heard in solo or duo, coaxing mysterious, transient sounds out of the piano, using extended techniques he refers to as "hyperpiano." Preparations within his piano case free the instrument of its fixed harmonics and felt-on-string tonality, creating an atmosphere of ethereal abstraction.
His unorthodox approach to playing coupled with some high concept in composition somehow result in Udentity landing rather in the pocket. The seven compositions are built around a harmony sequence conceived of by composer Harry Partch and without fixed tempo. (The musicians do generally play in time, but not necessarily in sync.)
With all the elements at play here — the haunting sounds of Partch's own percussive music, Maroney's piano adaptations, the free-form syncopation — the music could justifiably be expected to come off as a home for wayward dissonances. But somehow the avant elements cancel each other out, resulting in an album of smart, bright, contemporary jazz. Maroney assembled a crackerjack band, with Ned Rothenberg in reeds, Dave Ballou on trumpet, bassist Reuben Radding and drummer Michael Sarin. It doesn't come off as being very close to Partch — or Maroney's other music for that matter — but it's an all around enjoyable album.
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Kurt Gottschalk 2009-06-01
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