Richard Beirach / George Mraz – Rendezvous

Fans of pianist Richard Beirach will know that his records aren’t so much as released, rather that they escape.  He records for an assortment of mostly independent labels from all Europe, Japan and The United States.  Even today, tracking down his LPs and CDs can be an exasperating pursuit.  Furthermore, with his occasional proclivity for atonal and difficult music, the long wait for delivery from Japan or The United States might end with a disappointing listen – witness the squeaky dissonance of Emerald City (w/John Abercrombie, Pathfinder 1987) or the random discordancy of Impressions of Tokyo (Outnote 2001).  But when Beirach plays on the inside, his music is a delight.  Like all good piano players, his (melodic) records can be enjoyed with lightweight attention or the deepest and most concentrated introspection.  Meanwhile, his occasional forays into classical music are both addictive and rewarding.  

In recent years, more of his music has been appearing on iTunes and Spotify.  With the addition of the ECM catalogue to Spotify, three of his finest albums – Elm, Hubris and Eon – are once again available.  Other CDs have disappeared seemingly as quickly as they appeared – notably, Sunday Song (Blue Note) and Ballads 1 & 2 (Sony Japan).  And it is difficult to recommend these albums highly enough. 

One Beirach album that has not appeared on CD is Rendezvous, from 1981.  The LP was recorded with bassist George Mraz, on plucked and bowed bass.  The LP consists of seven original compositions, all dedicated to the memory of pianist Bill Evans, who had died four months before the album was recorded. The writing and playing hints at brief journeys into random atonality before steering back into the discipline of melody, romanticism and mainstream.  The recording was live-to-two track, with no mixing.  The record label (International Phonograph, Inc.) appears to have been a single-venture operation.  That is to say, Rendezvous is the only album in their catalogue.  

Musically and sonically, this record knocks on the door of perfection.  Pour two fingers of the rarest single malt, turn down the lights and suspend your reality within this exquisite musical journey. Rendezvous by Richard Beirach and George Mraz is nothing short of an out-of-body-and-mind experience.   

And when it’s all over, you’ll put it on again. 

1.   Rendezvous

2.   Distant Dream

3.   Natural Selection

4.   Inborn

5.   Rectilinear

6.   Wisteria

7.   The Last Rhapsody

Richard Beirach – piano

George Mraz – bass

Recorded March 1981

download  here

This LP was cleaned with an Okki Nokki machine before being ripped from a Nottingham Audio Spacedeck, fitted with an Ortofon Kontrapunkt ‘A’ moving coil cartridge, fed through a Graham Slee Fanfare 3 phono stage.