Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Matija Dedić/Jeff Ballard/Larry Grenadier
Label: Dallas Records
Release: 2009
Rating: 2.5/5
Matija Dedić is a relatively young but already well-established Croatian jazz pianist, and anyone who regularly follows the sprawling world of contemporary jazz has probably heard of him, since the guy has picked up a string of music awards for his work, among other things. He’s also known for collaborating with plenty of world-famous jazz names. His latest release is called “From the Beginning”, and on it he teamed up with American drummer Jeff Ballard and double bassist Larry Grenadier, two world-renowned jazz musicians who made their biggest names as members of the Brad Mehldau Trio. The double album, which runs along modern jazz lines, is a kind of symbolic cross-section of his creative output so far, with Dedić combining six originals and six relatively well-known jazz standards, written by some of the jazz greats. The latter he plays in his own way, while keeping their original motifs intact.
The excellent rhythm section, which has worked with plenty of acclaimed jazz musicians in the past, gives Dedić enough room for his own expression, but on the album that expression is often lacking, especially on the atmospheric-emotional side, since things frequently stick to strictly traditionalist lines. The album can roughly be split into two parts. The first covers the jazz standards, like Monk’s “Round Midnight”, where Dedić, with only minor variations compared to the original, basically sticks to the main theme the whole time. His version of Rodgers’ “You Are Too Beautiful” goes much the same way. Ellington’s “Prelude to a Kiss” offers a bit more room for some nice interplay between the double bass and drums, while Dedić, with less expressive chords, discreetly slips into the background. Davis’ classic “Nardis” (there have been repeated debates over whether Miles or Bill Evans wrote the tune) is recorded with a solid rhythm section and faithfully follows the original guidelines.
The second half of the album is taken up by originals in Dedić’s solo direction. Three of them were recorded together with Ballard and Grenadier: “From the Beginning”, “W.A.M.” and “Mr. Handy”. The title track is modern jazz that slowly builds atmosphere and sets the stage for a sudden, dramatic drum entrance from Jeff Ballard. Decisive, precise jazz also runs through “Mr. Handy”, while on the oddly titled “W.A.M.” you can catch a fairly interesting and very fast piano intro. It gradually develops into a swing with full backing from the bass and drums. Among other things, Dedić also shines with “supersonic” keyboard solos. The track “Angela” is dedicated to the Croatian composer Dora Pejačević (1885-1923). Thanks to a noticeably bigger emotional investment than elsewhere and regular use of counterpoint, “Marina’s Dilemma” is, along with the title track, the most interesting piece on the album, while “Dr. A” is a calm and easygoing but rather nondescript piano number.
“From The Beginning” is a pretty bitter example of a modern jazz compromise: sterile academic guidelines, which show most in the stiff, ossified rehashing of jazz classics, and only a few rare moments of original inspiration, when the high technical chops of all three top-notch musicians come to life in the right way. As such, the album will mostly thrill the most devoted fans of modern jazz built on a traditionalist foundation, while fans of more experimental forms of jazz will be left more or less cold. With the help of his two musical comrades, Dedić does prove, with his technically highly polished approach to both his originals and especially his interpretations of jazz classics, that he can easily hold his own with the best instrumentalists on the contemporary international jazz scene, but the same can hardly be said of his composing skills, which mostly stay within strict academic boundaries. In the future, a bit more of his own vocabulary, adventurousness, and less leaning on academic jazz dogma, which these days tends to be pretty ossified, wouldn’t hurt. Still, the album gives a nice glimpse into the creative output of a talented musician and (for now) a somewhat less talented composer, who may yet have an enviable career ahead of him once he finally breaks out of strict academic guidelines and makes satisfying use of his big potential.
Lineup
Matija Dedić – piano
Jeff Ballard – drums
Larry Grenadier – double bass
Production
Matija Dedić & Miroslav Vidović
Track List
CD1:
1. From The Beginning
2. Mr. Handy
3. Round Midnight
4. W.A.M.
5. Angela
6. You’re So Beautiful
CD2:
1. Prelude To a Kiss
2. Nardis
3. Marina’s Dilemma
4. Lush Life
5. Bye, Bye, Blackbird
6. Dr. A
