Chicago pianist PatLeary’s newest release, this time as a duo with his friend since middle school, jazz guitarist Thomas Kelleher. Their double-sided singles of covers — Charlie Parker’s “Orinthology” as the a-side, backed with Bill Evan’s “Interplay” — announce two upcoming and intertwined records, first with THEN and later to be followed by NOW.
As the titles suggest, THEN shows the duo reinterpreting “standards” in the Great American Songbook and in pop music as a way to rediscover improvisation between the two artists. On the other hand, NOW will show how their expressions as musicians have evolved, including with their improvisations and original compositions. Both records were recorded live with minimal alterations by Caleb Willitz at Midnight Tea out of the historic Fine Arts Building in downtown Chicago.
Leary said of their cover of “Ornithology,” “this was our image of the album as a whole: THEN represents the standards we grew together with as musicians. As a duo without drums, we were able to ebb and flow a bit rhythmically in a way that felt natural. This was also a recording we only attempted once.” For “interplay,” Leary said, “this song was the namesake of Tom and my original duo and one of our favorite standards. If ‘Ornithology’ begins our vision for THEN, ‘Interplay’ bridges this record into the next one, NOW.”Pat previously shared solo piano music with Vol. 1 and Live At Midnight Tea, and the electric TRIO with two close collaborators, Alex Santilli (Thee Sacred Souls) and Jeff Wheaton (Isaiah Collier, Angel Bat Dawid).
Pat previously shared solo piano music with Vol. 1 and Live At Midnight Tea, and the electric TRIO with two close collaborators, Alex Santilli (Thee Sacred Souls) and Jeff Wheaton (Isaiah Collier, Angel Bat Dawid).
Chicago Reader wrote of TRIO, “it would’ve fit in fine on the Blue Note roster in the late 60s,” Chicago Public Radio said his solo works are “sure to soothe the soul,” and DownBeat profiled Leary, writing his music “reflects the melting pot of influences he absorbed when returning to the keyboard.”Pat Leary and Thomas Kelleher will be releasing more from THEN this spring and summer, along with original music with NOW later this year.
