Pianist John Escreet Excavates the Chaos With Avant-garde Jazz

From the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, a review of Escreet’s recent performance in that area:

Escreet’s music challenges the listener to reconsider what he or she perceives as jazz. Rather than play overt melodies, the pianist elicits timbres from his instrument. Instead of giving the listener recurring themes, he delivers insistent textures that gradually change shape. In this way, Escreet seems more indebted to the music of such 20th century composers as György Ligeti, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Morton Feldman than with jazz titans like Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Thelonious Monk.