Podcast 907: A Conversation with Lynne Arriale

Pianist Lynne Arriale's last few trio albums have had something of a thematic structure.  Chimes of Freedom were tunes that expressed Lynne's solidarity with democratic values and reaffirmed her support of cultural diversity and racial equality.  Give Us These Days took on a spiritual flavor - given the unpredictability and impermanence of life, her music suggests, savor each moment.  Both of those albums feature Ms. Arriale with bassist Jasper Somsen and drummer E.J. Strickland, as does The Lights Are Always On, her latest release.  This original music is a suite of compositions that reflect the world-wide, life-changing events of the past two years. Several of the pieces are named in honor of heroes around the world, including those who served as caregivers on the front lines of the COVID pandemic and as defenders of democracy. Ever since winning the Great American Jazz Piano Competition in 1993, Lynne has been one of the most consistently engaging pianists around  Her critically acclaimed albums have topped the Jazzweek Radio Charts and have received "Best of" honors in major publications. She toured Japan with "100 Golden Fingers" with Tommy Flanagan, Hank Jones, Monty Alexander, Cedar Walton, Kenny Barron, Harold Mabern, Roger Kellaway, Junior Mance and Ray Bryant. She is currently a professor at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, FL. Podcast 907 is a return visit from Lynne (we last spoke in 2012 when she released an album of solo piano) as we discuss the strengths of her piano trio, how her compositions drive her topical titles and sounds, and how and why she tweaks her compositions, particularly in regard to tempo. Musical selections from The Lights Are Always On include the title track and "Sisters," plus "Take It With Me." the Tom Waits composition performed on Give Us These Days with singer Kate McGarry.