''Amaryllis'' is an album by American jazz pianist

Marilyn Crispell Marilyn Crispell (born March 30, 1947) is an American jazz pianist and composer. Scott Yanow described her as "a powerful player... who has her own way of using space... She is near the top of her field." Jon Pareles of The New York Times wrot ...

recorded in February 2000 and released on ECM March the following year. The trio features rhythm section

Gary Peacock Gary George Peacock (May 12, 1935September 4, 2020) was an American jazz double bassist. He recorded a dozen albums under his own name, and also performed and recorded with major jazz figures such as avant garde saxophonist Albert Ayler, pianist ...

and

Paul Motian Stephen Paul Motian (March 25, 1931 – November 22, 2011) was an American jazz drummer, percussionist, and composer. Motian played an important role in freeing jazz drummers from strict time-keeping duties. He first came to prominence in the l ...

.ECM discography
accessed November 14, 2011

Background

According to Crispell, four of the pieces on the album were improvised. In an interview, she recalled: "The title piece, 'Amaryllis,' sounds completely written, but it's not at all. Gary started a bass line, I came in with something, and we ended up playing the same lines at the same time. That's a very intimate thing. Something that I think is not as easy to pull off in a performance. It can be done, but the intimacy of the recording studio was particularly conducive to complete improvisation."

Reception

In an article for

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

John Fordham John Fordham (died 1425) was Bishop of Durham and Bishop of Ely. Fordham was keeper of the privy seal of Prince Richard from 1376 to 1377 and Dean of Wells before being named Lord Privy Seal in June 1377. He held that office until December 1381. ...

commented: "Like running into a relative of somebody you know well, this probing set betrays a gesture here, a mannerism there, a certain chime to a laugh or intensity of glance that is at once familiar and new... This set has Crispell investigating a more lyrical and less awesomely pianistic music... Not all the music is reflective... on the fast, liquid 'Rounds' Crispell plays a devastating solo of tidal energies and hurtling precision. Maybe it is too close to contemporary classical music... for some jazz listeners, but this represents the continuing evolution of a remarkable force, in an ideal context." Writing for

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

, Adam Shatz stated: "''Amaryllis'' is less rarefied than her previous record, suffused with a romanticism that ''Nothing Ever Was, Anyway'' hinted at but ultimately held in check. It's also a record by a mature woman who knows something of solitude: sorrowful yet finally affirmative, in the way that Joni Mitchell can be." The authors of the ''

Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled by ...

'' awarded the album 4 stars, calling it "a lovely set, intense and languid by turns and full of wonderful invention," and stated: "The piano tone is gorgeous and Peacock is playing with a fuller voice than ever. A record to absorb yourself in many times over." The

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4 stars stating: "on ''Amaryllis'', Crispell, Peacock, and Motian have established a new yet authoritative voice in melodic improvisation for the jazz trio."Jurek, T
Allmusic Review
accessed November 14, 2011

Track listing

:''All compositions by Marilyn Crispell except as indicated'' # "Voice from the Past" (Gary Peacock) - 5:54 # "Amaryllis" - 3:33 # "Requiem" (Peacock) - 4:40 # "Conception Vessel / Circle Dance" (Paul Motian) - 5:35 # "Voices" (Motian) - 4:28 # "December Greenwings" (Peacock) - 4:07 # "Silence (For P.)" - 3:17 # "M.E. (For Manfred Eicher)" (Motian) - 5:15 # "Rounds" - 4:05 # "Avatar" - 4:14 # "Morpion" (Motian) - 3:30 # "Prayer" ( Mitchell Weiss) - 5:42

Personnel

– piano *

– double bass *

– drums

External links

''ECM50 , 2000 - Marilyn Crispell: Amaryllis''
– episode in a series of 51 short films on ECM (2020) by IJ.Biermann

References

{{Authority control ECM Records albums Marilyn Crispell albums 2001 albums Albums produced by Manfred Eicher