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COMPACT DISC REVIEW from www.ragtimers.org

By

Jack Rummel

Stride and True
Grant Simpson, piano

            Why is it that so many of today’s audiences equate a stride piano performance with an athletic event – “track and field” on the keyboard, if you will?  The faster the performer plays, the less important the music becomes and it turns into a contest to see if the pianist can actually keep up with the pace he has set for himself (or she for herself).

            Grant Simpson has studied the recordings of the early masters and has chosen to adopt the lesser-known and under-appreciated style of Harlem Stride, namely, where melody is king of the right hand and the left hand features a lot more than boom-chick boom-chick.

            Simpson can play fast, and he does so on several cuts, but the emphasis of this album is on the slower numbers.  Those early masters of the idiom might be surprised to learn that he lives in Whitehorse , Yukon , Canada and records on a Yamaha C-7 grand, but stride’s magical lure is not limited to residents of the Big Apple.  His style eludes easy definition, but a typical approach is apt to use full chords to define the melody, then single note improv to add spice before returning to the chorded mode.  Two numbers, On the Street Where You Live and Whitehorse Blues, explore a fugue-like bass throughout, adding yet another dimension.  His touch is light, yet assured, the sound quality is crisp as a Yukon frost and the liner notes add a personal glimpse to each piece.

            This disc successfully explores the ballad side of stride with occasional forays into the fast stuff, but even that is done with an easy touch.  No dizzying blurs of notes here; instead, there is ample opportunity to appreciate the musicality of Grant Simpson.  If you are seeking yet another four-alarm tickler who defines stride as “fast and loud,” seek ye elsewhere.

            To obtain this CD, go to www.grantsimpson.net or write to Grant Simpson, Box 30043 , Whitehorse , Yukon , Canada Y1A 5M2 .