Review: The Book of Colours from Hubert Nuss

Frequency resonates. Whether it's the cadence of spoken words, the spectrum of colors or the strings and percussion of an elite jazz trio, frequency strikes a chord in the heart. Hue, tone and timbre combine beautifully in Hubert Nuss's newest recording, The Book of Colours, a meditation on color and music.

Artistry and intelligence are clearly on display. He refers, in the titles to his compositions, to Charles Blanc-Gatti, Tyrus Wong, cathedrals, galaxies - it's evident right away from whence he derives his inspirations for the colors he explores. Nuss is strongly influenced by Olivier Messiaen, a French composer who felt that color was the heart of music. Nuss employs Messiaen's modes in several of his compositions here. Perhaps, like me, you may not be familiar with all these people. By these intriguing references and beautiful music he sends listeners off on a journey to discover these artists who, like Nuss, delineate for us the conflation of music and color.

I saw lots of pastels, subdued and shimmering, and shadows as I listened. The first song, "Three Doomed Men," has the shadows of an abandoned church growing all through it. "The Pictures of Charles Blanc-Gatti" has a film noir feel, almost an interpretation of Dorian Gray. Number eleven, "Coloured Cathedral Daylight" just shimmers.

Nuss plays beautifully, reminding me a little of Marc Copland and Steve Schoenberg. Just listening to him tease out color and emotion from the piano is satisfying. The rest of the trio is John Goldsby on bass and John Riley on drums. The trio has been together since 1997 and it shows. They have a wonderful sense of balance. No one takes over, no solo's are the centerpieces. They each contribute to the canvas of music. The bass work holds up a lot of these songs, the drums add some swing and pizzazz while the piano does most of the talking, leaving you very satisified, musically and metaphysically.

The Book of Colours is like a painters palette and it can help your mind make whatever painting it needs. The music touches many genres in this exploration of color. It has the gravity of classical compositions, the swing of jazz, a little salsa for a splash of color now and then. The CD will be available October 26^th from Pirouet Records.