Astor’s Place is part biography and part geography. It’s a biography in that we learn about Dimitri Landrain, an acclaimed French composer and pianist based in New York City.

He began studying classical piano at age eight, and he soon became enveloped with improvisation, jazz, and swing. He gigged in Paris throughout his teenage years, and he ultimately moved to the US after earning a scholarship and eventually attended Berklee.

This is where the biography turns into geography. While at Berklee, he was offered to tour the world as a bandleader on a cruise line. Landrain jumped aboard and traveled the world, seeing various port cities and learning about the music of the Americas.

The main influence for my compositions comes from my travels, he reflects. Among the places he visited were Brazil and Argentina. I vividly remember the unique and rich music of the carnival and the harmonic and melodic language of Jobim and Gilberto Gil, he says. Joining Landrain on this musical adventure are talented artists Jim Robertson (bass) and Keith Balla (drums).

Each song on this album is a stop in Landrain’s life journey: his experiences in fascinating places, and his inspirations to write music that will linger with you for days. The first (and title) track Astor’s Place is indeed a tribute to Astor Piazzolla. I tried to capture the spirit and passion of tango, especially the intensity and drama by alternating relentlessness and relief, explains Landrain.

The progression is familiar to Libertango with a minor key and a bass pedal point that supports the upper register harmony. The B section supplies the relief followed by a thoughtful piano solo leading into an inspired drum solo. Drummer Keith Balla displays an incredible versatility throughout the album, weaving a tasteful variation of styles and grooves to perfectly color and support Landrain’s compositions, while still interacting emotionally with the trio.

1. Astor’s Place (4:44)
2. Hotel Bar (5:09)
3. Entangled (4:25)
4. Eight Years (2:25)
5. Lovers In The Rain (3:55)
6. De Buen Tono (4:33)
7. O Carnaval (3:05)
8. Nostalgia (5:35)
9. Waltz For Billy (5:17)

Produced by Kabir Sehgal, the album opens on the pure elegance of the titular Astor’s Place and then brings us the lushly sculpted Hotel Bar, the free flowing melodies within Entangled and then the joyously moved Eight Years.

Along next is the opulent Lovers In The Rain and the low slung rhythms of De Buen Tono, and they are in turn backed by the upbeat hipsway within O Carnaval, the album rounding out with the laid back balladry of Nostalgia, and closing on the aptly-named Waltz For Billy.

Musicians:
Dimitri Landrain - piano
Jim Robertson - bass
Keith Balla - drums

Official Purchase Link

Dimitri Landrain @ Spotify