A Reason for Being Alone

Album Review

On A Reason to Being Alone, pianist Alex Levin shows off a surprising range of styles with a core trio and a handful of guest appearances sprinkled throughout the album. The disc opens up with "Blues on Thursday," a piece hearkening back to the transition from hard bop to soul-jazz with some excellent parallel sax lines courtesy of Max Hacker and Stacy Dillard. The title track drops the energy down notably, with a more reflective tone on piano used here which continues into the following pieces, but is accompanied by a reflective cello in the samba-influenced "Emma's Ennui." The performances become a little more grandiose (and the piano at least a little Keith Jarrett-like) in "Her Solitary Wish" and "Your Call," scooting up to some bop influences in "New Schooled," scooting down to some more relaxed tones in "Polar Bear Waltz," and closing with a relaxed jam session of sorts in "Blues Through Stained Glass." The tone of the album bounces around a fair amount, but the performers stay on top of things throughout. This is some basic, no-frills club jazz, and it's a fairly good example of some of the classic sounds as interpreted through a contemporary player.