In his career thus far, pianist Greg Reitan is best known for having written scores for television, films and commercials. Born in Seattle, he moved to L.A. in 1991, attended USC, worked in New York during 1995-2001, and has been back in Los Angeles since 2002. Some Other Time is his debut recording as a leader and shows that he is also an inventive pianist.
On the opening "All Of You," Reitan (in a trio with bassist Jack Daro and drummer Dean Koba) sounds a bit like Bill Evans. While Evans, Keith Jarrett and Denny Zeitlin are influences, Reitan also has his own thoughtful musical personality. He works closely with his sidemen (who often speak in a single voice), creates sophisticated chord voicings and, in addition to his reworking of some standards (including "Giant Steps"), revives obscurities by Vince Guaraldi, Pat Metheny and the Beatles ("Dear Prudence"). Reitan also contributes five of his originals which fit into the modern mainstream while offering fresh ideas. He is particularly effective on quiet and harmonically sophisticated ballads and one can think of his style as similar to Marian McPartland's at her most modern. His music reveals new insights with each listen.
Some Other Time is an excellent start to Greg Reitan's jazz recording career. It is available from sunnysiderecords.com.
- Scott Yanow -- L.A. Jazz Scene