Around the middle of March 2020, pianist and composer Curt Sydnor released an introspective album Deep End Shallow that looked at institutional racism from a personal perspective, mixing in pop, jazz, classical and a smattering of other ingredients.
Less than six months later, Sydnor will unleash yet another ambitious project he undertook, Revolutionary Etudes, that infuses disparate sources of inspirations such as Walt Whitman, Ornette Coleman, Chopin, and Stereolab.
For these sessions, Sydnor enlisted an all-new roster: bassist Adam Hopkins and drummer Scott Clark, with Sydnor on keyboards. He also brought a singer on board, Laura Ann Singh from the bolero group Miramar, and this revamped alignment along with subdued but imaginative interpretations of mid-century songs and arrangements set Revolutionary Etudes apart from its immediate predecessor.
“Lifespan of Lies” is one of two singles from Revolutionary Etudes becoming available Friday, August 7, and we’re premiering up above a day early. Sydnor built this song out of the chord progression of Chopin’s “Revolutionary Etude,” a version Sydnor heard from a early 1940’s recording by John Kirby’s orchestra:
Chopin’s version played straight-up as originally composed circa 1831 sounds something like this:
Sydnor’s 2020 re-write neither swings nor “rubatos” but grooves under a light funk rhythm, and comes with the lyrics handled by Laura Ann Singh. Singh’s vocal delivery along with Sydnor’s vintage-sounding electric piano and organ throws off a bit of a Muscle Shoals-meets-Stereolab vibe. An essential Chopin etude that started its journey 190 years ago continues to evolve, thanks to a little creativity by Curt Sydnor.
Revolutionary Etudes will go on sale September 4, 2020 through Bandcamp. Pick up the “Lifespan of Lies” single here.
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