''Betwixt'' is an album by jazz pianist

Pandelis Karayorgis Pandelis Karayorgis (born 1962) is a Greek-born and Boston-based pianist, composer and educator. Life and career Karayorgis was born in Athens, Greece in 1962. He began classical piano lessons at the age of 9, but by the end of high school he wa ...

, which was recorded in 2006 and released on the Swiss

hatOLOGY Hathut Records is a Swiss record company and label founded by Werner Xavier Uehlinger in 1974 that specializes in jazz and classical music. The name of the label comes from the artwork of Klaus Baumgartner. Hathut encompasses the labels hat ART, ...

label. It was the third recording by mi3, a trio with bassist Nate McBride and drummer Curt Newton.

Music

For this program, Karayorgis plays

Fender Rhodes The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, th ...

, enhancing its sound with the addition of a mutron (a synthetizer-like sound filter once endorsed by

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

), distortion pedal, and

ring modulator In electronics, ring modulation is a signal processing function, an implementation of frequency mixing, in which two signals are combined to yield an output signal. One signal, called the carrier, is typically a sine wave or another simple w ...

(a favorite of

Karlheinz Stockhausen Karlheinz Stockhausen (; 22 August 1928 – 5 December 2007) was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. He is known for his groun ...

, which blends sound signals into dissimilar, often dissonant, frequencies). The setlist includes readings of pieces by

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", "B ...

, Sun Ra,

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

, Hasaan Ibn Ali, Misha Mengelberg and

Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Shorter came to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he joined Miles Davi ...

, along with three of the pianist's originals.''Betwixt''
at Pandelis Karayorgis

Reception

The ''

Down Beat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

'' review by John Corbett notes that "The Greek-born Bostonian Pandelis Karayorgis is not without his funky edges on the amped keyboard, but his method isn't to put down kitschy grooves or create a sexy '70s fusion ambiance. In his hands, and with his wonderful trio, the Rhodes is transformed into a versatile, gritty, pitch-based electronic sound generator--a perfect free-bop tool."Corbett, John. ''Betwixt'' review. ''Down Beat'' November 08: page 70. Print. The All About Jazz by Chris May states "''Betwixt'' could easily have been a freak show—and there's no denying its novelty appeal—but it's much more than that. Karayorgis' new sonic and textural peregrinations are as substantial as his acoustic piano playing, and he's robustly supported by bassist Nate McBride and drummer Curt Newton. Already compelling on this first flush, it's a direction worthy of further exploration."May, Chris
''Betwixt'' review
at All About Jazz In another review for All About Jazz Troy Collins says "''Free Advice'' was a welcome reminder of Karayorgis' abilities in a traditional acoustic setting. ''Betwixt'' reveals him as a sonic architect of the highest order, a visionary improviser whose enthusiasm for the possibilities of sound knows no limit. Together, Karayorgis, McBride and Newton offer a thrilling set guaranteed to turn heads."Collins, Troy
''Betwixt'' review
at All About Jazz

Track listing

# "Green Chimneys" (

) – 6:25 # "Saturn" ( Sun Ra) – 9:00 # "Break Even" (Pandelis Karayorgis) – 8:09 # "Heaven" (

) – 3:06 # "Betwixt" (Pandelis Karayorgis) – 4:52 # "Hypochristmutreefuzz" ( Misha Mengelberg) – 4:15 # "Pinocchio" (

) – 4:16 # "Brake's Sake" (Thelonious Monk) – 6:35 # "Light Blue" (Thelonious Monk) – 3:27 # "Curt's Escape" (Pandelis Karayorgis) – 6:15 # "Off My Back Jack" ( Hasaan Ibn Ali) – 5:57 # "Hump" (Thelonious Monk) – 5:58

Personnel

*Nate McBride -

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

*Curt Newton -

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

References

{{Authority control 2008 albums Pandelis Karayorgis albums Hathut Records albums