Chilly Gonzales – Solo Piano III
With accidental notes giving way to accidental brilliance, Solo Piano III is Chilly Gonzales' most breathtaking piece of work to date
Solo Piano III is the final part in a trilogy by Classical jazz pianist, Chilly Gonzales. It is staggeringly beautiful with an emphasis on his brilliance as a composer and as a solo performer. Chilly Gonzales, or 'Gonzo' as he's affectionately known, is to the piano what Django Reinhardt was to the guitar. Solo Piano III is more free-form and jazz-like; accidental notes give way to accidental brilliance in what is Gonzales' most breathtaking piece of work to date.
In the absence of other instruments, the silence in-between each refrain is sometimes stark and unexpected but those moments are recognised and paused for. The sound is spun from these dark silences like light from a projector. Gonzales is an advocate for what he describes as Musical Humanism: “the art of feeling or language of the soul,” and the music here speaks directly to the listener in a way that is truly cinematic, conjuring up images like the iconic scenes from early silent films such as 1899's The Kiss in the Tunnel or 1896's The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat.
Evoking their brilliance and borrowing from past masters and lone pioneers, the album boasts dedications to people such as Amelia Earhart, Fanny Mendelssohn as well as contemporary musicians, Beach House.
Solo Piano III is colourful and humorous; the sheer musicality of the work is astounding, bringing the listener as close to contentment as music possibly can.
Listen to: Pretenderness, Nimbus, Ellis Eye