Pastures

...a distinct voice, huge chops, and compositional intelligence of rare capability.
AUDIOPHILE AUDITION

Inspired by the touches of Americana roots music that inform many of the recordings of Michael Brecker, Charlie Haden and Ornette Coleman, pianist Clay Giberson sought to explore the same in his own compositions on "Pastures." Assembling an all-star group of like-minded, creative musical spirits - Donny McCaslin on saxophone, Matt Wilson on drums, and Drew Gress on bass - they combine their earthy improvisational awarness with a towering sense of song and form, creating a highly listenable collection. Featuring five original compositions and four arrangements of others from C.P.E. Bach to a Shaker hymn, the music evokes that pastoral element, the space that stretches across the American sky. "...his sound is intimate and personal, full of thought-provoking beauty." ALL ABOUT JAZZ.

Production Info:

Produced by Steven Cantor
Recorded September 21 and 22, 2015 at Systems Two, Brooklyn, New York
Mixed on June 15 and 16, 2016 at Systems Two, Brooklyn, New York
Recorded and mixed by Mike Marciano Studio Photography by Carmen Pelaez
Strings recorded by Joshua Powell at The Map Room, Portland, Oregon, May 18, 2016
Additional recording by Clay Giberson at Gyberspace, Portland, Oregon
Mastered by Allan Tucker at TuckerSound/Foothill Digital, New York
Cover design by John Bishop

Reviews of Pastures

Midwest Record (Chris Spector)
A top flight piano man can do no wrong when he surrounds himself with Matt Wilson, Drew Gress and Donny McCaslin. The result is a straight ahead date with improv touches and lots of jazz that just plain dances in your hears and head. Not afraid of left turns and whimsy in the music, this crew takes the expected and twists it into the unexpected w ...

CD Hotlist (Rick Anderson)
As the title suggests, pianist and composer Clay Giberson's latest outing as a leader draws on influences from American roots music - though those influences are often well below the sonic surface. His arrangement of the familiar Shaker hymn "Simple Gifts" takes that theme off in a million different directions, and his take on the Kern/Gershwin tun ...

Jazz Weekly (George W. Harris)
Pianist and keyboard player Clay Giberson brings together Donny McCaslin/ts-fl-ss, Drew Gress/b and Matt Wilson/dr for a mix and match of originals and standards. His classical technique comes through on a fun piece with McCaslin's tenor on "Solfeggio, " and while team gets fun and kinetic on "Song For Ornette," but the treat here is when a string ...

All About Jazz (Dan McClenaghan)
4.5 STARS Pianist Clay Giberson has a fifteen year resume of fine recordings on Seattle's Origin Records label. The discs are, for the most part, solo and trio outings, with the trio sets appearing under his own name or that of his long-standing Upper Left Trio. Some examples: Spaceton's Approach, (2008), and Minga Minga (2015) as Clay Giberson; a ...

Republic of Jazz (Domi)
An innovative voice in the contemporary jazz scene of the Pacific Northwest, pianist and composer Clay Giberson is part of a new generation that is redefining jazz. Emotionally compelling, the music grooves as much as it dazzles with harmony, lyricism and rhythmic intricacy. Giberson's performances convey a deep appreciation of structure and fo ...

KUCI - Irvine, CA (Hobart Taylor)
Pianist/composer Giberson is elegant and eloquent, both on his own charming earworms, but also on a jazz reworking of elder Joseph Brackett's Shaker hymn, "Simple Gifts". He is joined by Donny McCaslin on various reed instruments, and occasionally a string quartet. ...

Jazziz (Staff)
Pacific Northwest-based pianist and composer Clay Giberson grew up on a farm in Woodland, Washington. So, perhaps it's unsurprising that the University of Miami-trained musician would find inspiration in the fields of home. Like jazz composers Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden and Ornette Coleman, Giberson digs into the loamy soil of Americana for the raw ...

Improvijazzation Nation (Rotcod Zzaj)
As I listen to Clay's superb jazz piano work (for the third time through the album now), one word comes to mind – POWERFUL! His strong style first enchanted my ears in issue # 162, and he got (very) high marks from me on that release as well (in fact, I went back and listened all the way through that album, too – as I often do with jazz player ...

Oregon Jazz Scene (Ryan Meagher)
I moved to Portland a little over four years ago. I did not know a single person in Portland when I moved here but for one person, Clay Giberson. Giberson and I have a couple mutual friends in New York, and I met Giberson at a jam session in Brooklyn well-before I had even thought of living in Portland. When I got to town and was trying to find a f ...