Piano Player Will Kjeer at Cal Arts School of Music

This article originally appeared on Jazz Police.

By Bill Stieger

Whatsoever local jazz aficionado who hasn't had the pleasure of hearing pianist Will Kjeer is hereby forewarned: become out to see this upward-and-coming  performer while he'south notwithstanding planted in the Twin Towns. Considering all the local musicians hold–Kjeer is a performer on his mode upward. And 1 never knows how long a musical precious stone of this caliber can remain in this Twin Cities bailiwick.

Kjeer (pronounced "Keyer") is a St. Paul native who graduated from Cal-Arts in 2019, and had been performing and education in Los Angeles, establishing his proper name and building his resume, merely that was prior to the onslaught of the Coronavirus.  Kjeer has returned to his St. Paul dwelling in the West 7th neighborhood, honing his chops, playing  festivals (his appearance with tenor behemothic Jerry Bergonzi at Crooners was a recent highlight), conducting jam sessions, and streaming online. Kjeer will perform selections from his upcoming CD, "Undreampt," on the series Saturday Nighttime Jazz at the Blackness Domestic dog on Sabbatum, August 7th, in a trio with bassist Charlie Lincoln and super-drummer, Dave Male monarch.  This all happens Sat at the Black Dog Cafe in Lowertown, Saint Paul as part of a weekly serial curated by Steve Kenny. See the post-obit MinnPost Article on the series reopening : Here

"I didn't want to endure the lockdown in Los Angeles," said Kjeer, 24, explaining his render to Minnesota. "Without beingness able to work, and having to afford the rents in California, information technology was an easy decision to render to Minnesota and ride this thing out. And frankly, I've been so busy back hither–both playing and recording–that whether I'll move back to LA is an open-ended question."

For now, Kjeer is planted at his mother'southward abode in the West seventh neighborhood. He stays decorated practicing the pianoforte, composing, and hosting jam sessions. Now, with  venues reopening, Kjeer is getting more bookings and planning for the release of "Undreampt" (No release date has all the same been prepare).

"I wrote all the tunes on the recording but I also see it as a collaboration with Charlie and Dave. They added so much flavor to the tunes. Dave is an established 'name' drummer who's  played and recorded with many of the all-time musicians in creative music. Both Charlie and I consider working with Dave equally a masters program, an apprenticeship that demands the best of united states."

King'south eclectic drumming encompasses nearly all the rhythmic styles–in jazz, Latin, funk, rock and punk. He initially fabricated his name with bands Happy Apple and The Bad Plus, and has constantly toured extensively for years. Like Will, the pandemic anchored King to the Twin Cities during the pandemic. And the lockdown enabled the trio to go far the studio.

"I met Volition at a summertime workshop at McPhail Schoolhouse of Music, in St Paul," said Male monarch. "Volition stood out to me fifty-fifty then," said King. "He had talent, but even improve, I could tell he was serious about his playing. Better still, he had a humble mental attitude which I found refreshing for a younger role player. On my visits dwelling, I'd often run into Volition perform at the Artists Quarter or at the Twin Cities Jazz Festival. He'd come to our Bad Plus appearances when we played LA during his college years, and we stayed in touch. Volition is definitely progressing."

The formation of a expert jazz musician is nigh a recipe. It begins with an early on exposure to music. Kjeer grew up listening to jazz in Kenny Horst's sorely missed Artists' Quarter, which afforded the youngster exposure to top tier musicians of local and national stature. Former owner of the AQ, Kenny Horst, is Will's uncle. He said Will'south determination began early.

"Will'due south female parent called me ane mean solar day and said, 'Will wants to exist a jazz musician.'" said Horst. "She didn't say that Will wanted to try playing jazz. No. She said Will wanted to BE a jazz musician. That was his attitude from the offset. She told me Will had come to the determination from listening to Vince Guaraldi on the soundtrack of the Peanuts cartoons."

In his loftier schoolhouse years, Kjeer manned the keys for the Dakota Combo, which gives young talents experience in performing at venues like The Dakota Jazz Social club. And he began sitting in at the Artists Quarter, and gigging for the Twin Cities Jazz Festival. By the time he shipped off to Cal-Arts, Will was of professional person caliber.

Bassist Charlie Lincoln, 23, is a contemporary of Volition'southward, a phenomenal immature contra-bassist who has worked consistently with the pianist. He offered input into Will's manner of playing and composing. "Will is always challenging himself, pushing his own limits. Sometimes, you can tell he's overthinking a passage, only when he'south past all that, he is a formidable creative person. And the music for the trio record is not piece of cake to play. Not a lot of standard forms are used. The charts tin can be intimidating, merely Dave suggested we learn the tunes by ear, without reading the parts. That was a challenge. But it really opened us upwards."

Music is slippery to describe with accuracy. But to take a few swings in that direction, one could say that "Undreampt" is a gumbo of modernistic jazz styles. One is tempted to use sobriquets like "Post-post-bop" and other such offerings. Some passages are redolent of Keith Jarret's groups from the 1970s, Chick Corea of "Now He Sings, At present He Sobs," or mayhap some of the Israeli notables similar Brad Meldau, Anat Fort, or both Avaishi Cohens. Classical influences, especially in the composing, seem evident. One certain consistency in Kjeer's "Undreamt " is that the music is constantly shifting.

The recording begins with "Arrival," which launches off in a loopy, Monkish vamp, the guess is it'due south in 5/four, simply Kjeer was no assistance. "The phrase is the thing," he said. "Like Miles Davis says, 'I'll play it and tell yous what it is later.'" The theme crashes through a series of abstractions, roughly in an ABC grade, with Male monarch juggling the rhythm breaks with the precision of a circus knife thrower, who knows the necessity of perfection.

"Bound" begins with a dense, turgid intro that spills into a unproblematic theme, and so weaves through peaks and valleys, yet maintains the line behind King's drums and Will holding the harmonic eye. Lincoln plays a marvelous solo–the male child got tone–while Will assists with accompaniment. There seems to be some sort of musical radar that keeps the trio on the beam. Rex cuts loose on the out chorus and a listener might wonder why "Bound"  needs to end after just five minutes. They were just getting started.

"Breath in Flight" is the wildest ride of the bunch. A furious attack by Kjeer in a fourth dimension-signature hard to parse which proceeds to launch this musical rocket higher than Bezos will e'er go. Simplicity and Sophistication marry on this one. Lincoln holds the center in the floaty heart section and then—hither it comes—a hold-onto-your-hat tornado of free improve that leads back to the theme.

"Current" starts off like 1 of the 70s samba recordings of Chick Corea, with a more than Spanish (Andalusian) feel than Brazilian. Only, as in all of Kjeer's other compositions, "Electric current goes  spelunking without sounding forced or labored. Its transitions flow similar the changing view from a train in the Alps, changes that make the ride all the more intriguing.  A simple flit suddenly emerges as if from a Disney flick, followed by a department both lyrical and spacey that segues into a beautiful melodic passage that elevates the listener into a identify of what one might–at the risk of sounding treacly–call a "spiritual reverie."

"Dragon" reminds 1 of the experience in McCoy Tyner's album "Trident," with its open up pedal, and Male monarch'southward mambo musings on cymbals and toms. Drummer Elvin Jones drove the rhythm on "Trident," and Elvin's smashy accompaniment is mirrored by Rex on "Dragon." Then comes the arrival of an implied funk groove. Lincoln is wonderful in this section, dancing between the drums and pianoforte with surety. A thunderstorm of free improve follows with King and Kjeer going at each other like Frazier and Ali.  "Dragons" leaves the listener feeling like his feet are about to leave the basis.

"I'll Be Leaving Soon," is a nice break from the tumult. "It kind of reflects the moves I've made in contempo years–to and from Los Angeles," said Kjeer. "And of course exploring new places both artistically and geographically. In that location is often happiness and sadness mixed together at those times, and that'south what I was thinking nigh here."

"Rabbit" has a back-and-forth triple meter that breaks into an open department. Male monarch plays a furious 6/eight that's evocative of Jimmy Hendrix'southward "Manic Low," as if Mitch Mitchell had studied drums with Weather condition Report's Eric Gravatt. The ending has a series of abrupt stops amid the fusillade, all landing with pinpoint accuracy. Kjeer's inspiring play once again leaves the listener wishing for more.

"Wildfire" is the warm-downwards of "Undreamt," a gorgeous ballad 1 tin listen to in the dark and not feel alone. "Wildfire" settles the nerves. This is Will talking. Then Lincoln wanders in and plays the second section in nigh tandem with the piano, then solos to Kjeer'southward accompaniment. Male monarch assists on brushes, content to support and embellish. Play this one a second time. Better than a glass of Scotch.

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Source: https://www.twincitiesjazzfestival.com/will-kjeer-trio-to-play-compositions-from-soon-to-be-released-undreampt-on-saturday-night-jazz-at-the-black-dog/

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