Reconstructed (Solo Piano)

“Reconstructed” makes a wonderful first impression as it begins with a lovely tune entitled “Summer Nights.” Its gentle melody is entrancing and draws the listener in right from the start. I also appreciated Isadar’s sense of dynamics as it builds then drops into a more minimalistic feel in the second movement. The dynamic modulation continues on the second track, “Throwing The Dice,” which starts out sparsely before shifting into a lively upbeat tempo with interesting rhythmic complexity. Things slow down on “End Of The Line,” which exhibits an archetypal Windham Hill vibe painted in pastel hues of sound. His song called “Jealous Heart” captures this feel as well. Isadar draws inspiration from some unlikely places, such as on “Active Imagination,” which is based on the teachings of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung. Another interesting song title reference bears the name of the famous children’s book “Where The Wild Things Are” by the late Maurice Sendak. Upon seeing that listed on the album tracks, I was interested to hear how he would interpret it. Isadar gave this piece a bluesy feel, although more melodically and harmonically complex than the typical 12-bar blues. Also capturing my interest from the title alone was “The Bermuda Triangle.” It turned out to be not quite as mysterious as I might have expected, but actually reminded me a bit of something in the vein of famed jazz pianist Keith Jarrett. I particularly enjoyed a quiet little song called “Waiting,” which evoked a feeling of anticipation and a looking forward to something happening. Another favorite was “Fountain Of Life” and the way it started with gentle sprays of notes before flowing into a fluid unfolding of rolling arpeggios and expressive melody. Overall I was impressed with Isadar’s piano mastery on such a diversity of material, and especially his aforementioned sense of dynamics with the yin and yang qualities it brings to his music. “Reconstructed” is a formidable collection and a perfect introduction to those who may not be familiar with the work of this incredibly talented musician.