Zodiac by Chris Pattishall
Like many of his favorite things, there is much more to Chris Pattishall than meets the eye, and it gets stranger the deeper you dig. Most know him as a pianist with a “forthright relationship to the jazz tradition” (New York Times) and a hard-earned endorsement from the music’s traditional establishment—Wynton Marsalis once shortlisted Pattishall among his favorite young improvisers, and he’s also worked with Jimmy Heath, Jon Hendricks, and Wycliffe Gordon.
But that’s just upon first glance. With his debut album Zodiac—a phantasmagorical interpretation of Mary Lou Williams’ Zodiac Suite—Pattishall unveils himself as an erudite surrealist, following in the footsteps of his wide-reaching influences: Roberto Bolaño, Luis Buñuel, Madlib, and Thelonious Monk. He shares their dedication to the quietly inexplicable, and continues their pursuit of the kinds of otherworldly resonances that defy the way we rationalize experience. His obsession with history is borne of a crate-digger’s mentality, not stuffy conservatism: he’s fascinated with how bizarre and defiant early jazz actually was within the context of its time.
Though he makes his living moonlighting as a besuited scholar of Earl Hines and Erroll Garner, you’re more likely to find Pattishall in a wolf sweatshirt when he’s off the clock, passing through the Gladstone Gallery to experience the latest from Wangechi Mutu or heading to the Armory to check out Oneohtrix Point Never. With Zodiac, Pattishall takes a step towards unifying his interests. In collaboration with producer Rafiq Bhatia (of Son Lux) and an ensemble of close allies—Jamison Ross (drums), Riley Mulherkar (trumpet), Reuben Fox (saxophone), and Marty Jaffe (bass)—Pattishall renders Williams’ futuristic early jazz compositions with both understated melodicism and Fellini-esque unreality.
Tracklist
| 1. | Taurus | 4:38 |
| 2. | Gemini | 4:04 |
| 3. | Cancer | 6:40 |
| 4. | Leo | 1:46 |
| 5. | Virgo | 3:27 |
| 6. | Libra | 2:50 |
| 7. | Scorpio | 5:22 |
| 8. | Sagittarius | 3:50 |
| 9. | Capricorn | 3:00 |
| 10. | Aquarius | 4:06 |
| 11. | Pisces | 2:50 |
| 12. | Aries | 3:50 |
Credits
Chris Pattishall - piano
Riley Mulherkar - trumpet
Ruben Fox - saxophones
Marty Jaffe - bass
Jamison Ross - drums
Rafiq Bhatia - sound design, programming
All compositions by Mary Lou Williams
All arrangements by Chris Pattishall
Recorded November 3-4, 2017 at the Bunker Studio, Brooklyn
Todd Carder - recording engineer
Nolan Thies - assistant engineer
Mixed by Rafiq Bhatia
Mastered by Joe Lambert
Art and design by Kim Alpert and Chris Blackwood
Produced by Rafiq Bhatia, appearing courtesy of ANTI- Records
License
All rights reserved.
Most know pianist Chris Pattishall as a musician with a “forthright relationship to the jazz tradition” (New York Times), but like many of his favorite things, there is much more to Chris than meets the eye. His influences span everyone from Thelonious Monk to Luis Buñuel, Madlib to Jorge Luis Borges. His debut solo album Zodiac is out now.