Kirk Lightsey - I Will Never Stop Loving You

12 Inch Vinyl - Noir 180g

 

“Patience. A lesson in patience. My whole life seems to be about the lesson of patience. Patience with myself.”
Kirk Lightsey

Dedicated to his wife Nathalie, “I Will Never Stop Loving You” is an intimate album capturing the close intimacy between Kirk and his dearest instrument, alongside the lightest of touches of the pedal and faint traces of his own breath, it retains the listener’s fascination from beginning to end.

Patience is just one of Kirk Lightsey’s many virtues, as is his unique touch of the piano, the main instrument of his distinguished career. A member of the illustrious Detroit school of jazz pianists, Kirk is a sophisticated improviser who plays complex chords with a personal and subtle touch. Possessing a distinct sound of his own, his idiosyncratic delivery is usually recognizable from the very first notes.
Three and a half decades since his highly acclaimed solo recordings from the mid-eighties - “Lightsey I”, “Lightsey II” & “Lightsey Live” - Jojo Records are proud to launch with a rare solo studio recording of such a distinctive and singular musician. Dedicated to his wife Nathalie, “I Will Never Stop Loving You” is an intimate album made by a mature musician firm in his element. Capturing the close intimacy between Kirk and his dearest instrument, alongside the lightest of touches of the pedal and faint traces of his own breath, it retains the listener’s fascination from beginning to end.

Revisiting some of the most cherished compositions in his repertoire, in “I Will Never Stop Loving You” Kirk applies his singular touch and unique storytelling to a selection of beloved standards, some of which are even more identified with him than with the musicians who wrote them. Such are Tony Williams’ “Pee Wee” and Phil Woods’ “Goodbye Mr. Evans”, while Coltrane’s iconic and highly technical “Giant Steps” receives an extremely irregular interpretation, with almost no single notes. Wayne Shorter’s music, a constant presence in Kirk’s musical path, appears with 3 compositions from Shorter’s classic Blue Note recording “Speak No Evil”, further intertwining a long relationship that dates back to Kirk’s first gigs in NYC upon his arrival to the city in the mid-1960s.
Conveying Kirk’s sentiment to the compositions mentioned above is the album’s opening and title track, the lesser-known “I Will Never Stop Loving You”. Recorded in one immediate take, it was specifically requested by Jojo Records founder and the album’s producer, Simon Belelty, who has long cherished Kirk’s version since hearing him playing it only once, many moons ago. Unlike most of his performances and recordings were done with a Steinway, this album was recorded with Studio de Meudon’s Fazioli, adding another layer of unexpected liberty, which only true maturity allows. 

credits

released September 3, 2021

Produced by Simon Belelty -Jojo Records

Recorded & Mixing & Mastering by Julien Bassères
At Studio de Meudon - Paris 2020


TRACKLISTING:
01. I'll Never Stop Loving You - (6:36) Nicholas Brodszky
02. Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum - (4:38) Wayne Shorter
03. Pee Wee - (4:30) Tony Williams
04. Infant Eyes - (4:42) Wayne Shorter
05. Goodbye Mr. Evans - (5:47) phill Woods
06. Giant Steps - (3:48) John Coltrane
07. Wild Flower - (6:25) Wayne Shorter

Recorded at Studio De Meudon - France. on January 2020
Release on Sept 2021

Produced by Simon Belelty