Aaron Wyanski: We Were Not Born To Survive

Aaron Wyanski takes time from his teaching in Maine to deliver an album of piano solo improvisations on this latest release. The good news is that “improvisation” does not translate into “cacophony” but instead we get some very clever spontaneous ideas worked out.

Based in stride, Wyanski shows an allegiance to protoboppers of the past, with hints of Monk on “Bad Eyeball (Silly Little Thing) and the fun “Spondee”, while his left hand goes into dark territory on the Tristano’d “Realm of Hungry Ghosts”. He probes depths on “Dead Bell” and subtones for “Absence Without A Though, While using clever restraint and space on the resonantly reflective “Light Burns Blue”. Each piece is suitable for framing.