Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Jonathan Kreisberg: Shadowless

Jonathan Kreisberg: Shadowless

By Dan Bilawsky
January 26, 2011
View read count

Guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg has gained a lot of visibility through his sideman work with organist

Dr. Lonnie Smith

organ, Hammond B3
1942 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">Dr. Lonnie Smith, but his talents are occasionally downplayed in that role. When left to fend for himself, as on this eight song program, the full breadth and depth of his artistry is revealed. Kreisberg wanted to follow up his gentle, standards-only Night Songs (Criss Cross, 2009) with a more potent musical brew, and Shadowless easily fits the bill.

Kreisberg kicks things off with a rhythmic maze ("Twenty One") that cools off for a mid-track solo from saxophonist

Will Vinson

saxophone, alto
b.1977

" data-original-title="" title="">Will Vinson. Both Kreisberg and Vinson expertly navigate the head together and prove to be a good match as front line partners throughout the album. The follow-up track, "Stir The Shadows," provides the first glimpse of Kreisberg's shape-shifting abilities. His guitar can sound more like a synthesizer than a six-string axe here, and he continues to defy aural expectations as he delivers controlled edginess ("Zemb��kiko"), woozy-meets-ethereal gauze ("Long Like A Mercury Day"), near flute-like lines ("Defying Gravity") and a variety of other sounds through his instrument. Kreisberg even comes through with several different sounds, from coarse chords to liquid lines, on "The Common Climb."

The guitarist is never content to dwell in one general area, so he touches on hyper funk ("Stir The Stars"), atmospheric openings ("Long, Like A Mercury Day") and reflective journeys ("Defying Gravity"), but he also likes to play with evolving rhythmic shapes. "The Common Climb" is carried forward by a NOLA-ish snare drum groove when the song takes off, but it shifts toward funkier territory and eventually arrives in a raunchier, dirty hi-hat driven environment. The lone standard on the program—

George Gershwin

composer / conductor
1898 - 1937

" data-original-title="" title="">George Gershwin's "Nice Work If You Can Get It"—shifts back and forth between a loping feel and a driving tempo, and "Zemb��kiko"—based on traditional Greek melodies—bookends a full-on, up-tempo swing section with a slower, more restrained groove that perfectly supports Kreisberg's exotic lines.

Whether Kreisberg is defying gravity on the track of the same name, or stirring things up in a more turbulent manner with his crack team of musicians, his original voice is always steering the music from the helm on Shadowless.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Twenty One; Stir The Stars; Shadowless; Zemb��kiko; Long, Like A Mercury Day; The Common Climb; Defying Gravity; Nice Work If You Can Get It.

Personnel

Jonathan Kreisberg

guitar

Jonathan Kreisberg: guitar; Will Vinson: saxophone; Henry Hey: piano; Matt Penman: bass; Mark Ferber: drums.

Album information

Title: Shadowless | Year Released: 2011 | Record Label: New for Now Music

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Warren Allen's Best Releases of 2010
< Previous

Chuck Anderson/Jimmy Bruno: Philadel...
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.