Rachel Flowers pt.1

Music and wine! Is there a better combination? The Squashed Grape is a great little winery in Ventura, CA. (More about them in future posts) And they’re totally about jazz. Meet Rachel Flowers. 23 years old, beautiful, COSMIC jazz piano player/composer, flute virtuoso, singer, non-sighted since birth. And when you hear her, you forget about everything but the music.

I was hanging with my friend, Rebecca Catterall, (ceramic artist/live music enthusiast), and we saw this funky little place, The Squashed Grape, and we went in thinking, ok, we’ll have a glass o’ vino (one of my favorite things to do) and listen to whoever is there, since it says “live music”, maybe one set, then leave. WRONG! This little girl (she seems almost child-like, totally sweet and innocent, until she starts playing, that is) completely turned my finely tuned ears inside out. Her intros, while seeming rambling, were enticing. One might think to one’s self, “I don’t know where she’s going with this, but I really like it” and when she does get to the tune, your mind says, “OF COURSE that’s where she was headed”. Rachel puts together melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic tapestries that can  have  been fabricated only on another plane. And when you hear her, you realize that you’re hearing not only a brilliant mind, but an elephant-sized heart.

And kudos to the guys playing with her at The Squashed Grape. Paul Tavenner (drums) and Jeff Falkner(bass) who seemed as though they were inside Rachel’s head (and heart) at all times, creating just the right elements to complement her piano. Never over-playing, brilliant on solos, always rejoicingly loyal to and totally in tune with Rachel.

And now, here are some bits I’ve cherry-picked from the gorgeous audible tree Rachel has created for us.

Dawn Points

First,  a bit from Dawn Points, where we begin with the waking clarinet, supported by subtle hovering strings, as the piece evolves and builds to a point where the bass clarinet and low strings open the door for the brass to announce the splendor of the new day. Rachel’s use of dynamics, crescendo and decrescendo combinations, pulls us into the tapestry she’s created for us, swells and fills us with wonder, then gently leaves us, satisfied, and better prepared for the rhythmic worlds about to unfold.

Run For Miles

Now listen to how she blends orchestral swells with blazing trumpet solo, then drops back down to launch her keyboard solo, which continues as the orchestra again builds, threatening to swallow up, but never  overtaking the relentless solo line until she’s ready to let that happen.

Greg’s Favorite

And now her soaring vocal melodic line over a driving rhythm section that never falters, but sustains the energy that keeps the vocal line aloft.

Goes To Eleven

And lastly, in case you were wondering does she have solo chops,  listen as she comes out of howling guitar solo and launches into an amazing piano solo, subtle at first, then more and more powerful as the orchestra and rhythm sections build, creating the driving foundation, piano still soaring,  which takes us to the climactic finish of  this amazing composition.