Stewart Goodyear: Callaloo & Piano Sonata - Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue

The pianist/composer tradition is in wonderful health: Here, Stewart Goodyear, a brilliant player with a taste for rhythm and energy, performs two of his own works in world-premiere recordings. The first, the piano concerto *Callaloo*, celebrates the Caribbean’s carnivals, calypso, and golden sunsets with imagination and unbounded joy. Goodyear’s *Piano Sonata*is just as thrilling. Written when he was 18, his homage to pop culture explodes with technical daring, while Rachmaninoff gets a nod in the beautiful slow movement. The original band version of Gershwin’s *Rhapsody in Blue* gives Goodyear the chance to show that his jazz chops are as refined as his classical credentials. Chineke! and Wayne Marshall sparkle with a perfect combination of exuberance and tautness.