Chris Abrahams — Climb (Sep 09, 2016) 
■ Jeho kusy jsou příznačné drobnými zjeveními na cestě k většímu pocitu citového naplnění. Žádná jiná výkonná jednotka se nemůže dostat ani vzdáleně do podobné zvukové plochy ... skoro jako kdyby jeho hudba bez zkušenosti z běžného lidského kontaktu přišla z nějakého neznámého abstraktního zdroje. Tonálně přístupný a přitom hluboce náročný. One of Australia’s premier musicians, Chris Abrahams has appeared with the Benders, the Sparklers, Peter Blakeley, the Necks, Jackie Orszaczky, and Ed Kuepper and is widely recognized as one of Australia’s top keyboard players.
■ “Ecstacy in slow motion... magically euphoric... The Necks’ appearance was less a traditional concert than a fascinating opportunity to participate in the pulsating genesis of organic tones and sounds”. WESER KURIER (BREMEN, GERMANY)
■ Best known as the pianist in the Necks, Chris’ latest is his first solo piano album in ten years. No one sounds quite like Chris. His playing is both meditative and compelling.
Birth name: Christopher Robert Lionel Abrahams
Born: 9 April 1961 in New Zealand
Location: Oamaru, New Zealand ~ Sydney, Australia
Album release: Sep 09, 2016
Record Label: Vegetable
Duration: 43:23
Tracks:
1 Roller 4:25
2 The Sleepings and the Drifts 9:20
3 Overlap 7:55
4 Beach of Black Stones 3:43
5 Fern Scrapes 4:48
6 Dog Rose 5:51
7 Shoreline 7:21
℗ 2016 Chris Abrahams
Description:
■ The Necks’ pianist Chris Abrahams releases his tenth solo album and his fifth solo piano album, Climb.
■ Drawing from a deep reservoir of hundreds of hours of recorded works, the end result is a stunning album of meticulously curated pieces that stretch over a decade of solo piano work from one of Australia’s most highly regarded pianists.
■ “Climb is an important work for me,” says Abrahams “Over many years I have recorded my solo piano pieces with the intention of releasing a collection as a cohesive album. It’s a different way of working from going in to a studio to record a whole album in one go. It has allowed for the progression of time to be reflected in the work.” Characterised by Abrahams’ free~flowing modal legato and psychedelic, cascading phrasing, Climb unfolds through its seven tracks with a gorgeous fluidity that is both ambient and emotional.
■ Familiar to admirers of Abrahams’ mesmeric work with The Necks, in Climb melodic motifs act as starting points, with pieces developing along their own organic trajectories. The shimmering lyricism of tracks such as ‘Roller’, and ‘Beach of Black Stones’ is contrasted with the angular velocity of ‘Fern Scrapes’ and the rhythmic, interlocking patterning of ‘Overlap’ ~ with its hypnagogic use of the sustain pedal. In the middle of the sweeping spectrum of mood on Climb, is the final track, ‘Shoreline’; its energetic phrasing and dense inner~voice accompaniment providing an uplifting finale.
■ Between Abrahams’ last solo piano release Streaming in 2006 and Climb in 2016, Abrahams has, amongst a wide and varied array of other projects, released four solo electro acoustic albums for the excellent Room40 label (most recently the acclaimed Fluid to The Influence) and toured constantly, throughout the world, with The Necks, releasing numerous albums with them. He is currently composing the score for Back to Back Theatre’s latest production, Lady Eats Apples.
Review
Philippe De Cleen op 12 november 2016 / Score: 4.5
■ http://www.writteninmusic.com/jazz/chris-abrahams-climb/
Solo discography:
■ Piano (Hot HTLP1014, 1985)
■ Walk (Hot HTLP1025, 1986)
■ Glow (Vegetable/Vitamin VEGE001, 2001)
■ Streaming (Vegetable Records VEGE002, 2003)
■ Thrown (Room40 RM409, 2005)
■ The Tender Hook Soundtrack (Vitamin Records, 2008)
■ Play Scar (Room40, 2010)
■ Memory Night (Room40, 2013)
■ Fluid to the Influence (Room40, 2016)
Label: https://www.waterfrontrecords.com/
Website: http://www.thenecks.com/bio
■■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ
■ “Ecstacy in slow motion... magically euphoric... The Necks’ appearance was less a traditional concert than a fascinating opportunity to participate in the pulsating genesis of organic tones and sounds”. WESER KURIER (BREMEN, GERMANY)
■ Best known as the pianist in the Necks, Chris’ latest is his first solo piano album in ten years. No one sounds quite like Chris. His playing is both meditative and compelling.
Birth name: Christopher Robert Lionel Abrahams
Born: 9 April 1961 in New Zealand
Location: Oamaru, New Zealand ~ Sydney, Australia
Album release: Sep 09, 2016
Record Label: Vegetable
Duration: 43:23
Tracks:
1 Roller 4:25
2 The Sleepings and the Drifts 9:20
3 Overlap 7:55
4 Beach of Black Stones 3:43
5 Fern Scrapes 4:48
6 Dog Rose 5:51
7 Shoreline 7:21
℗ 2016 Chris Abrahams
Description:
■ The Necks’ pianist Chris Abrahams releases his tenth solo album and his fifth solo piano album, Climb.
■ Drawing from a deep reservoir of hundreds of hours of recorded works, the end result is a stunning album of meticulously curated pieces that stretch over a decade of solo piano work from one of Australia’s most highly regarded pianists.
■ “Climb is an important work for me,” says Abrahams “Over many years I have recorded my solo piano pieces with the intention of releasing a collection as a cohesive album. It’s a different way of working from going in to a studio to record a whole album in one go. It has allowed for the progression of time to be reflected in the work.” Characterised by Abrahams’ free~flowing modal legato and psychedelic, cascading phrasing, Climb unfolds through its seven tracks with a gorgeous fluidity that is both ambient and emotional.
■ Familiar to admirers of Abrahams’ mesmeric work with The Necks, in Climb melodic motifs act as starting points, with pieces developing along their own organic trajectories. The shimmering lyricism of tracks such as ‘Roller’, and ‘Beach of Black Stones’ is contrasted with the angular velocity of ‘Fern Scrapes’ and the rhythmic, interlocking patterning of ‘Overlap’ ~ with its hypnagogic use of the sustain pedal. In the middle of the sweeping spectrum of mood on Climb, is the final track, ‘Shoreline’; its energetic phrasing and dense inner~voice accompaniment providing an uplifting finale.
■ Between Abrahams’ last solo piano release Streaming in 2006 and Climb in 2016, Abrahams has, amongst a wide and varied array of other projects, released four solo electro acoustic albums for the excellent Room40 label (most recently the acclaimed Fluid to The Influence) and toured constantly, throughout the world, with The Necks, releasing numerous albums with them. He is currently composing the score for Back to Back Theatre’s latest production, Lady Eats Apples.
Review
Philippe De Cleen op 12 november 2016 / Score: 4.5
■ http://www.writteninmusic.com/jazz/chris-abrahams-climb/
Solo discography:
■ Piano (Hot HTLP1014, 1985)
■ Walk (Hot HTLP1025, 1986)
■ Glow (Vegetable/Vitamin VEGE001, 2001)
■ Streaming (Vegetable Records VEGE002, 2003)
■ Thrown (Room40 RM409, 2005)
■ The Tender Hook Soundtrack (Vitamin Records, 2008)
■ Play Scar (Room40, 2010)
■ Memory Night (Room40, 2013)
■ Fluid to the Influence (Room40, 2016)
Label: https://www.waterfrontrecords.com/
Website: http://www.thenecks.com/bio
■■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ→■λ