Ron Stabinsky: piano.

Ron Stabinsky, a pianist from Pennsylvania who likes to extemporize, releases his debut solo album Free for One on Hot Cup Records.
Adaptable, Stabinsky has been highly influential in successful projects such as Most Other People Do the Killing and Peter Evans Quintet.
For this recording, he comes equipped with impeccable technique and artistic power, presenting eight solo piano improvisations from 2015.

When the notes of “…After It’s Over” started to echo, I had the impression I would be taken somewhere surrounded by magic and mystery. The pianist’s articulated, and somewhat somber textures came to life from a nuanced blend of neo-classical and avant-jazz.
The cathartic “31” goes right to the gut. The pianist’s rapid right-hand attacks are counterpointed with the lightness of the low notes on his left hand. Everything is bundled in complexity.
“Viral Infection” moves between Cecil Taylor and Monk, unveiling rhythmic ideas that eventually surprise. It differs from the puzzling four-minute meditation “Gone Song”, as well as from “For Reel”, the avant-garde twin of Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumblebee”.

The longest track of the record is “Not Long Now/Long Now”, which presents a multitude of variations and moods after taking us to the imposing “Rapture”, a blow of animated, and sometimes disperse piano chops.
The unagitated “Once, But Again” is the recording’s last piece and the most accessible one, detaching from any complexity and diving deliberately into agreeable jazzy waters.

Adopting a freewheeling attitude, Free to One is limited to audiences whose ears are receptive to infinite explorations. If you’re an explorer yourself, you’ll certainly find something to admire throughout these very personal divagations.

Favorite Tracks:
01 – … After It’s Over ► 03 – Viral Infection ► 08 – Once, But Again