Tune in on Wednesday, March 27th @ 2pm to hear Excuse My French in conversation with pianist and composer Ethan Iverson before his run of shows at SF Jazz on March 30th & 31st.
A far-ranging new project full of twists and turns, new album, Technically Acceptable finds Iverson at the helm of two different trios—with bass/drum teams Thomas Morgan/Kush Abadey and Simón Willson/Vinnie Sperrazza— performing a set of striking new originals plus singular new versions of Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly With His Song” and Thelonious Monk’s “‘Round Midnight,” the latter featuring Rob Schwimmeron theremin. The album concludes with the recorded premiere of Iverson’s Piano Sonata which is given a tour-de-force performance by Iverson himself.
The history-spanning wealth of influences and eras that Iverson has investigated as pianist, composer and critic all emerge, in often surprising and delightful ways, throughout Technically Acceptable. In the past Iverson has used his leader dates as a way to connect with and learn from elders like Billy Hart or Jack DeJohnette, the latter who appeared on Iverson’s 2022 Blue Note debut, Every Note Is True. Here he’s working solely with younger musicians who find ample space for freewheeling invention even within the concise forms of these short tunes, whose pop-like precision harkens back to his days with The Bad Plus.
Through a repertoire that alights on myriad points on the jazz and classical timelines in playful yet inventive ways, Iverson allows himself the credential that christens the album. “If I’m taking the measure of my own work: I’m on a journey, but I don’t think it’s finished yet. My first album was called School Work; maybe in another ten years I’ll create the album Flawless Masterpiece. For now, I’m Technically Acceptable.”
Photo Credit: Keith Major
