Music From Everyday Life
NA1025
Connie Crothers, solo piano
1. Be
2. Lover Man
3. Sonance
4. Ontology
5. Dig You
6. Star Eyes
7. Say It
8. Etude for The Spirit
9. Béla Bartók, Buciumeana, from Roumanian Folk Dances/improvisation
10. Little Sweet One
11. Good Morning, Heartache
12. How High the Moon
13. Precious Life
Recorded 1993 —1996
BIO: CONNIE CROTHERS
REVIEWS
While one would expect her own compositions to be freeform vehicles, I was surprised and impressed by the way Crothers approached the standards. Songs such as "Lover Man", "Star Eyes", and "How High the Moon" are played with such originality that the melody lines are fully submerged under her interpretive direction. She projects the essence of the songs without ever having to make an overt statement on the theme. Only on the opening segment of "Good Morning Heartache" does even the slightest hint of the theme surface. This subtlety indicates an ability to hear far beyond the superficial level of melody. Crothers makes heavy use of the lower end of the register in probing the labyrinth she designs inside the songs. Her right hand adds the sparkling relief, but the most meaningful statements are derived from the bottom end of the sound spectrum. The tunes are the essence of full-bodied articulation, and her exploratory endeavor results in substantive music with power framed in a veil of tenderness.
— Frank Rubolino, onefinalnote.com, September 2001
About the only predictable elements in the work of pianist/composer Crothers are honesty and originality. Where these take her in performance is always a surprise, a freeflowing adventure for the spirits of both performer and listener. Whether in the presence of an audience or alone in her own studio — as she is in these 13 pieces — Crothers gives herself completely to the moment and to her chosen material. Most of these pieces are originals and they are thoughtful reflections of an inner life that synthesizes both concept and detail, complex interactions and simple directness. The five remaining pieces grow healthily from seeds lying patiently in the fabric of standards, waiting for someone like Crothers to nurture them into a new level of existence through attentive, imaginative exploration.
If you enjoy rich and fresh musical landscapes you should find many happy discoveries in this program. Highly recommended.
— Lois Moody, Jazz News, November/December1997
"She's very original"
— Leif Wigh, Orkester Journalen
"Writer's Choice 1996"
— John Sutherland, Coda Magazine News, November/December 1997