|
 Love
Letters is a worthy entree to pianist Dave Venn's artfully designed
pastiche, One Two Three. His debut compact disc as a leader celebrates all three voices
early on. First, the ringing clarity of Steve Schenkel's guitar,
then Venn quickly pursues with a forecast of his awesome attributes,
abetted by Schenkel and Jay Hungerford's resiliently inventive bass.
Dave flies solo on the pastoral jewel, Everything Happens To Me. With
just a tinge of the bombastic, he relies mainly on exemplary execution.
Indian Summer, Venn's first duet vehicle, combines the piano's vivid
colors with an assuasive, economical bass.
The solo format smiles upon Dave as he euphoniously roams the streets of London
By Night, exploring with sophistication.
I'm In The Mood For Love meshes the ornately expressive styles of guitarist
and pianist - producing a sort of refined radiance.
Venn, again the loner, suavely measures his assertions on You
Are There, reverently forging a path of reflection.
The light-hearted solo track, What Am I Here For, combines finesse and fun.
Dave seizes this forum for some spirited and very satisfying ostentation.
Venn pushes the envelope again on I
Thought About You, while Jay's appreciative undercurrent
combines breadth and cadence.
The Trouble With Hello Is Goodbye delicately balances piano and guitar - alternating
with warmth and deliberation throughout.
On Bidin' My Time,
a swinging, empathetic groove infuses the trio.
Venn's nearly sacrosanct treatment of Emily is compelling in form and feeling.
His masterful transitions are simply entrancing.
The pianist's solo repertoire navigates with unfathomable beauty on How Deep Is
The Ocean.
On I Wish I Knew, Jay states the head. Venn's bravado and Hungerford's
contained fervor precede Dave's chiming conclusion.
Dave's snail-paced beginning swells to a lively and engrossing address of the theme,
Close Enough For Love.
I'm Getting
Sentimental Over You just swings. Schenkel sings
his lyrics and Venn responds in kind. Hungerford's tenacious timing
buttresses some handsome guitar and pure keyboard mastery.
Finally, Steve entices us into a misty Dream.
Dave's coy melodic treatment foreshadows Schenkel's interlude
- which invokes his two guitar image, over Jay's reverie. Piano
and bass reappear, assert themselves, then gradually disperse.
Venn's peerless accomplishment here is one from which one would
hope never to awaken.
- Roscoe Crenshaw
|
