Bill Anschell is one of the Northwest’s most beloved jazz pianists, though his new album Improbable Solutions was created with computer technology. The two sides of his music converged in the KNKX studios with Anschell’s acoustic piano leading a quartet though his new compositions.
His love of progressive rock and emerging electronic music as a college student eventually led Anschell to pursue the jazz idiom, but he never gave up on the digital world. The extra time allowed by pandemic closures gave him a path to complete his years-long creative dream.
“Finally! This was all headed toward combining electronics with acoustic instruments and real people,” Anschell told KNKX.
After releasing the album, Anschell had to work out what songs he could play live. Of the nine songs on Improbable Solutions, he performs five of them.
“A couple of the tunes really are more like progressive rock," Anschell explained. "We’re not really the band for that.”
The band in the KNKX studios included drummer Brad Boal and two musicians who appear on the new record: bassist Chris Symer and guitarist Brian Monroney.
“It’s been interesting to try to replicate those (electronic sounds)," Anschell said. "We’re really lucky to have Brian… he kind of replaces my synthesizers by being the ‘textures guy.’”
This quartet was up to the challenge. “Ambulator” begins the session with acoustic piano and electric guitar pushing and pulling through catchy melody and harmony lines, while Symer and Boal provide the important rhythmic support.
The live version of “Gentle Persuasion,” often played on KNKX, glided along at a calm tempo before a dramatic piano solo launched Monroney into his own feature with smartly chosen guitar effects.
Anschell’s quartet completed their set with a song from his 2006 album More to the Ear than Meets the Eye, the complex and funky “Faster Than the Speed of Mildew,” with driving contributions from all four musicians.
Dig into the world of Bill Anschell and his music, ably performed by his great quartet in the KNKX studios. Lighter on the synthetic sounds than his new album, this performance was still forward thinking and thoroughly modern.
Musicians:
- Bill Anschell - piano
- Brian Monroney - guitar
- Chris Symer- bass
- Brad Boal - drums
Songs:
- Ambulator
- Gentle Persuasion
- At the Speed of Mildew
