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Sep 07, 2018 Issue #64 -  Kamasi Washington By Haydon Spenceley

Some people just make beautiful music. You can, as a listener or a writer, seek the best descriptions of what the music does, how it makes you feel, where it takes you to, but when all is said and done, some music is just beautiful. It’s an overused term, the kind that adorns press releases, posters, and social media so as to be rendered less powerful than it once was, but, and at the risk of repeating myself I have to say it again, when music is beautiful, it just is. Such is the case with Solo Piano III, the dazzling new record from Chilly Gonzales.

The title should give you a clue: there are two more of these albums which are more than worth your time too. If you’re looking for the kind of music which will simultaneously relax you and gently convict you of the sheer beauty of the piano as a solo instrument then this album is for you. The 15 compositions showcased here paint a picture of Gonzales as a master of his instrument. Whether you’re initially grabbed by the flowing arpeggios of “Nimbus,” the blues-y flow of “Cactus Impromptu,” or the sinuous groove of the aptly named “Present Tense,” which demands both the attention of catching of breath—you’ll soon find yourself wondering why you’d not given Chilly Gonzales time on your stereo or your heart before. This is an album that both delights and haunts. The solo piano is a potent force in the right hands. Lovely. (www.chillygonzales.com)

Author rating: 8/10