Greg Reitan - The Bounding Line

The English poet and artist William Blake wrote of the intentionality and originality in art as being demarcated by a “bounding line,” meaning that the more “sharp and distinct” the boundaries of the piece are drawn, the more perfect the art. Pianist Greg Reitan took this idea to heart during an artist residency at composer Aaron Copland’s home, Rock Hill, in Cortlandt Manor, New York, in the summer of 2019. Inspired by the seclusion, environment, and Copland’s library, Reitan utilized his time at Rock Hill to create a blueprint for his new recording, The Bounding Line.

Reitan has made a name for himself as a brilliant pianist and composer, writing and arranging for his trio and for film and television. Bassist Jack Daro and drummer Dean Koba have been integral to Reitan’s musical world for nearly thirty years since they met while studying at the University of Southern California. Their long-standing collaboration has made the trio a cohesive unit comfortable with any material that Reitan creates.

As a composer, Reitan has an appreciation for the work and genius of Aaron Copland. He was honored to have been awarded a residency that enabled him to live and work at Copland’s Rock Hill. The midcentury modern house served as Copland’s home from 1960 until his passing in 1990. The time Reitan and his wife spent at Rock Hill allowed him to find inspiration in the secluded environment that Copland regarded as “my hideaway, my solitude.” The Copland House Foundation took care of the couple’s needs so that Reitan could focus on composing. In the evenings, Reitan would investigate Copland’s ample library, studying scores and reading books.

The time spent at Rock Hill resulted in the sketches of the pieces that are heard on The Bounding Line. The residency provided Reitan an opportunity to refine his work and to hone these compositions under Blake’s ethos of strong and defined boundaries of style and form.

At the end of Reitan’s stay, Daro and Koba joined him at Rock Hill for a series of performances featuring works inspired by the residency. Four years later, Reitan reconvened the trio to record the work begun at Rock Hill, along with a handful of thoughtfully chosen but rarely heard covers at Concept 2 Studios in Los Angeles in October 2023.

The recording begins with Reitan’s “The Path,” a composition inspired by scenic pathways that connect the Hudson River parks that Reitan and his wife walked during the evenings of their stay in Cortlandt Manor. Beginning as a serene jazz waltz, the piece picks up intensity as it evolves. Earl Zindars wrote “My Love Is an April Song” for Bill Evans in the early 1960s. The song was recorded but not released until the 1990s. Reitan’s take on the ballad is gorgeously rendered. While at Copland House, Reitan spent many hours behind the picturesque, large windows in the music room, where the joyful “Summer Days” was born.

Reitan wrote the title track with a specific and delineated architecture. The trio also breaks from the mold with moving bouts of improvised fantasy. Inspired by the view from his Tokyo hotel window, Dave Brubeck wrote the haunting “Rising Sun” and released it on his Jazz Impressions of Japan album in 1964. The trio plays the piece with a cool ease and gentle warmth. Reitan’s “Starting Point” contains a descending chromatic harmonic structure that is an endless loop, creating a falling sensation.

The Keith Jarrett ballad “Love No. 1” has long been a favorite of Reitan. The trio keeps the loose Jarrett feeling in their transcription but brings their own sensibility to the track. “Rock Hill” takes its name from the Copland house. Reitan wrote the piece inspired by the unique architecture of the building, which was initially built by an architect for his family. The recording concludes with “Down a Country Lane,” the first piece that Copland wrote when he moved into Rock Hill. Originally composed for a commission from Life magazine, the piece is read verbatim, apart from Daro doubling some notes on his bass and Koba adding color via his drums.

The residency at the Copland House in the Hudson River Valley of New York allowed Greg Reitan to reinvest in his artistic pursuits free of distractions. The energy he spent was directed in the composing of works for his new album, The Bounding Line, a recording that finds Reitan and his trio honing a clear vision of their artistry, as William Blake would fully appreciate.