Search - Doug Strock :: Piano Dreams

ROMANTIC piano jazz. Yet not syrupy. Achingly heart-felt, brashly unique, addictive and sensual. Fresh new versions of the most unforgettable songs by Rogers and Hart, Gershwin, Keith Jarrett, Duke Ellington, Billy Preston and Thad Jones. And goosebump-producing originals...all of which beckon for repeat listening. Like many jazz musicians, Strock starts with the assumption that you know the melodies. He delights us with surprising variations on these familiar tunes. This pianist then goes one step further and assumes you know the rhythm and phrasing too. Dissecting the melody, he digs in, holding each chord up for inspection, twisting and shaping and then holding on, letting the chords breathe and stretch, and allowing the piano to respond. Perhaps even better than Strock's treatment of beloved standards, are his mesmerizing originals. He has taken to heart the old adage that music is as much about the silence as the sound, as much about the notes that are not played as those that are. The unexpected pauses and harmony will keep you coming back.