A lyrical 3/4 song that keeps the melody flowing though its cyclical form. This melody is complemented (and occasionally doubled) by an active bass part.
A warm-toned 3/4 song with plenty of flowing lyricism and detailed harmonies in that signature Renee Rosnes style. The melodic thread runs smoothly throughout the head; though there are defined phrases and we divide the 26-measure form into eight-measure A and B sections and 10-measure C on the lead sheet, the boundaries between these phrases are nearly seamless. It's a cyclical song, with the end of the melody connecting stepwise back to the beginning. Though the main key center is C major, there are a few visits to other tonalities including E♭ and A♭ major. The in head is played twice; on the repeat of the out head, there is a coda starting at the second measure of B, consisting of eight measures of chromatic descending chords back to a final Cmaj7, mostly in dotted quarter notes.
Little Spirit certainly works as a melody with changes, but Renee also wrote a detailed, active bass part that really complements the melody. In the A section, the bass fills in around some of the longer melody notes, including an off-beat pedal point in the first two measures. For the first three measures of B, the bass doubles the melody. On the recording, the head begins with piano alone, with both the bass and drums coming in on the third measure; the first two measures of bass figures are played on the repeat of the head and on the out head. Our C lead sheet comes from Renee's manuscript and includes a few two-part harmonies that she plays on the recording.
Renee's next recording after "Art & Soul," in June 1999, was on guitarist Peter Leitch's Reservoir album "Blues On The Corner," also featuring saxophonist/composer Bobby Watson.
Few can deny that Renee Rosnes is one of the most important pianists and composers in contemporary jazz. As a child, Renee was initially attracted to classical piano, but became interested in jazz during high school. She went on to study classical piano performance at the University of Toronto but returned to Vancouver to pursue jazz. Renee quickly rose to the top of Vancouver's active jazz scene and performed as a sideman with Joe Farrell and Dave Liebman while still in her teens. Read more...
