Podcast 265: A Conversation with Lynne Arriale

"Some people write in their journals . . . I create my journal through music; expressing what I cannot put into words," – Lynne Arriale. After almost fifteen years of working exclusively within the trio and quartet formats, pianist Lynne Arriale has recorded her first solo CD. A strong player who has recorded both intimately structured originals and bold versions of pop songs, the new CD, simply entitled Solo, gives her a chance to stretch out on her own. The result is a set of tunes that rival many of the more ballyhooed players on today in warmth, technique and emotion. A pianist since the age of 3, when she received a plastic toy piano as a gift, she tours extensively with her trio – usually Omer Avital on bass, and Anthony Pinciotti on drums – while holding down the position of Associate Professor of Jazz Studies and Director of Small Ensembles at The University of North Florida in Jacksonville. Lynne’s song selection has always interested me, as she goes deep into both the Great American Songbook and the pop charts, having recorded versions of the Guess Who’s “American Woman”, the Beatles’ “Come Together” and several Sting originals. I spoke to her recently about how she chooses songs, why the time was right for a solo CD, and the state of music education. Click here to listen to the conversation, punctuated by musical selections from her many CDs, including: Lynne Arriale – “Evidence” from Solo. Lynne recorded two Thelonious Monk tunes for the CD, taking them at different times and workign through variations on the melody to make something just a bit different. Lynne Arriale Quartet – “Wrapped Around Your Finger” from Nuance: The Bennett Studio Sessions. A pop classic from The Police becomes a more sinister sounding piece for quartet in the hands of Ms. Arriale on piano, Randy Brecker on trumpet and flugelhorn, George Mraz on bass and Anthony Pinciotti on drums. Lynne Arriale Trio  – “Kum Ba Ya” from Arise. The campfire classic gets a facelift, with Lynne joined by Steve Davis on drums and Jay Anderson on bass. Lynne Arriale Trio – “Braziliana” from Lynne Arriale Trio Live. This Arriale original was early in the set of this live recording, and really gets things hopping, It’s Arriale-Davis-Anderson performing.