Richard Beirach
Eon
ECM Records/Polydor (Japan) 1983
20MJ 9036 (LP) w/insert.
sleeve : EX+(very slightly dirts)
media : EX+/EX+(some slightly noise)
Released in 1975, this album as a leader is by New York-born jazz pianist Richard Beirach, who has appeared on numerous ECM recordings and has also collaborated extensively with Japanese musicians including Masahiko Togashi and Terumasa Hino. A piano-trio recording with bassist Frank Tusa and drummer Jeff Williams, the album opens with A1, a deeply spiritual interpretation of “Nardis,” the celebrated Miles Davis composition from the mid-1950s that has since been performed by countless jazz musicians. A2 revisits Dave Liebman’s “Places,” originally featured on Open Sky’s self-titled 1973 album, which also included Tusa. The remaining selections include original compositions by Beirach and Tusa.
B3 is another highlight, with the three musicians gradually layering their sounds like gentle, quietly rolling waves. Limited Japanese pressing released in 1980 as part of the ECM Special 2000 series, with insert.
A1: Nardis
A2: Places