(Review by Dave Brownlow.)
This is Leslie Pintchik’s sixth album where she leads her piano/bass/drums trio augmented on some tracks either by trumpet and alto, accordion, guitar or percussion. Leslie is a prolific composer and the CD includes six of her original pieces together with two well-known standards. She plays piano in a calm, unhurried, thoughtful style with warmth, wit and drive veering emotionally from the poignant to the playful in depth
The title track You Eat My Food, You Drink My Wine, You Steal My Girl! (What a great title!) has an infectious melody over a lively samba/funk/blues groove and features enthusiastic solos from piano, guitar (presumably through multi-tracking) and alto.
The first of two standards, I’m Glad There Is You by Jimmy Dorsey and Paul Madeira is played as a gentle bolero by the trio with clearly-developed solos from the piano and bass. The second, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes from Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach, is played in a samba rhythm just by the trio. The well-crafted piano and bass solos lead to a conclusion where the players work hard to achieve a final result.
The haunting ballad, Mortal was written to “express a sense of life’s fragility and especially shortness” and features sensitive one-chorus solos from piano, alto, trumpet and bass - a poignant effort from the whole group.
Another quirkily named original - Your Call Will Be Answered by Our Next Available Representative in the Order in Which It Was Received. Please Stay On The Line. Your Call Is Important To Us (the longest track-title I’ve ever come across!) - has Leslie and the trio humorously engaged in something which symbolises all our frustrations when we’re trapped in similar phone calls with blood-pressure rising! Full of stops and starts, the tune swings along with strong drive from the rhythm team – the bass solo is also particularly nimble and ear catching.
Hopperesque, inspired by the iconic artist Edward Hopper, features the keening sound of Shoko Nagai’s accordion in an evocative minor-keyed outing which fuels the “feeling of mystery”. Happy Dog has the accordion again and percussion of Takeishi to the fore in a cheerful piece played in a samba-based rhythm rollicking along with playful solos from the piano, guitar-like bass and chattering percussion. Finally, A Simpler Time has a lovely melody which could easily have come from the pen of Bill Evans or Fred Hersch in its construction. Leslie makes the piano “sing” in this performance with her graceful touch at the keyboard.
Overall, a simpatico album which grows on you after repeated listening and which further extends the career of this most musical artist in her quest for originality and beauty.
Available on Pintchard CD-004 from 23rd February 2018 at www.lesliepintchik.com
2 comments :
Seems the album and the tune's title came from an exchange she overheard whilst crossing Canal Street and West Broadway in the SoHo section of Manhattan. One of those "only in New York" moments!
That's life!!!
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