Monika Herzig Acoustic Project

Monika Herzig Acoustic Project
ACME OOlMA - 4010-2

Effendi; It's You Or No One; Michael; One For The Box; And I Love Her; Could It Be Bop?; You Stepped Out Of A Dream; Mr. P K; So In Love; Some Other Time (53.17)

Monika Herzig, piano; John Huber, bass; Steve Davis, drums; special guests Sara Caswell, violin; Chuck Carter, clarinet; Peter Kienle, guitar

Many of the head arrangements on this recording use clever and interesting ideas musically, but the solos generally seem sterile and quite unrelated to the Jazz mode - this is particularly true of the leader Monika Herzig. Technical ability is undoubtedly a useful attribute, but without the heart and soul of true Jazz improvisation the result becomes quite meaningless. Of the three guests Chuck Carter's clarinet playing is the most acceptable with Sara Caswell and Peter Kienle not always fitting in with the whole. Huber and Davis are supportive, with the latter being a little heavy and over enthusiastic on occasion. Monika clearly has good keyboard skills, but I question her improvisation which seems stilted. This may seem harsh criticism of the concerted efforts these musicians have applied to this project, but that's how I see it.

by Al Merritt

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