May 2011

Gordon Lee
This Path
OA2 Records

By Bill Milkowski

New York native and longtime Portland resident Gordon Lee, a veteran pianist-arranger-composer and educator, weaves a mesmerizing spell on this singular piano-trio recording. His delicate opener, a modal take on the Chinese folk song “Pao Ma Shan,” sets the evocative tone, which continues with interpretations of Jobim’s “Portrait in Black & White” and Jim Pepper’s “Lakota Song.” Miller’s “Sitting Bull’s Revenge” is a playful reharmonization of “Cherokee,” while his reflective and eloquent “Field on the Hill” is a soulful highlight. For a change of pace there’s the angular blues of “Ninety-Nine, Ninety-Nine,” the flamenco-flavored “Andalucia” (featuring Miguel Bernal on cajón) and a funky take on Lee Morgan’s “Cornbread.”