Pas Seul – Music for Piano by Alec Wilder, Vol. II

John Noel Roberts has the right feeling for the music's special blend of jazz and classical. Sound is great. If there is more piano music by Wilder in the pipeline, let's have it sooner than a decade this time!

Alec Wilder is best known as one of the contributors to the Great American Songbook, with songs championed by such friends as Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, and Tony Bennett. But he always had ambitions as a writer of concert music and opera, and studied composition (briefly, and without nabbing a diploma) at the Eastman School of Music, in his hometown of Rochester, New York. This charming collection of solo piano works, almost inevitably, shows off both sides of his musical personality. There are 38 tracks on this CD, so yes, the works are all very short, ranging from 37 seconds to just a minute and a half. Not surprisingly, Wilder's melodic gift shines brightly here. Even the simplest, shortest snippets exude a beguiling lyricism. The other characteristic that flows through this program is Wilder's original harmonic sensibility, in which simple chords play against dissonant clusters, all the while proceeding at an utterly natural, even leisurely pace This project comes across as a labor of love for pianist John Noel Roberts, who actually did graduate from Eastman. His playing is richly colored and relaxed, although he manages the tricky sounding contrapuntal sections with precision and grace.

Wilder lived from 1907 to 1980; he studied briefly at Eastman and started writing popular music in the late 1920s, eventually making the transition to mostly concert music. There are 38 short pieces here, tonal, tuneful, and with few complications, whether rhythmic or harmonic. Some are Schumannesque, some are jazzy, and all are humble. Roberts plays them well the sound is clear but not too dry. if you liked Volume 1 you'll want this.