ERIC BELL — Vulnerability (review)

ERIC BELL — Vulnerability album cover Album · 2024 · Post Bop Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
js
“Vulnerability” is the debut album from keyboardist Eric Bell, but he is hardly a new comer. Eric has been working as a composer, arranger and instrumentalist for some top names, including Bernard Purdie, Jeff Hamilton and Marvin Smitty Smith. He also works as a composer and arranger for Disneyland’s Phat Cat Swingers. It took Eric only three years to earn his bachelors degree in jazz piano performance at Cal State Long Beach, and after he graduated he was hired as a teacher. “Vulnerability” is based around Eric’s post bop piano trio, but on several tracks they branch out into electronic fusion territory and include guest musicians as well.

Album opener, “Start”, starts things off ambitiously with some free jazz battles backed by broad electronic soundscapes for a huge cinematic texture. From here Eric continues the drama with an unusual version of “The Way You Look Tonight’ that continues the big cinematic approach. Wayne Shorter’s “Witch Hunt” is in a more traditional piano trio format, but the band experiments with the tune by varying the tempo every time they repeat it’s structure. “Fighting the Sun” brings on Dean Arber for some fusion style electric guitar shreds and title track, “Vulnerability” is a gospel flavored art pop ballad with Eric Hirschhorn on saxophone. The album closes with a couple hard bop swingers with “Beautiful Love” being particularly energetic.

“Vulnerability” is a remarkable debut album and the future looks bright for Eric. His jazz chops are impressive, but he is also adept at a broad range of musical styles and large scale arrangements. Bell can thunder like McCoy Tyner, get artsy melodic like Brad Mehldau and down home funky like Les McCann.
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