Taylor Eigsti: Daylight at Midnight

Disagreeing with the status quo: Dinnertime fusion at the end of the world.

The 3rd LP for this New York pianist/leader on the vaunted Concord label focuses mainly on a well-explored but always welcome sound: small fusion-leaning dinnertime combo at the end of the world.

Like so many 20something bandleaders, however, he disagrees with the status quo apprioach of covering 50-year-old show tunes. His answer involves covering stuff from Coldplay (a "Daylight" that floats a mathematical coolness far beyond its original fractal), Feist (Sade-soundalike newcomer Becca Stevens sings "The Water" and couldn't be a more appropriate fit for it), Rufus Wainwright ("The Art Teacher," in which Eigsti's acoustic piano sounds ironically Brubeck-ish) and Nick Drake (emotional rollercoaster "Pink Moon," in a strummy showcase for guitarist Julian Lange).

Another vehicle for Stevens – she gets 5 tunes altogether – is Imogen Heap's "Little Bird," wherein Eigsti barks and wiggles along with a very busy Fender Rhodes.

By Eric Saeger

Homepage: Taylor Eigsti
Homepage: Concord Jazz Records