(Modern Creative, Post-Bop) [CD] Kevin Hays - Variations - 2011, FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Kevin Hays - Variations Жанр: Modern Creative, Post-Bop Носитель: CD Страна-производитель диска: Германия Год издания: 2011 Издатель (лейбл): Pirouet Records Номер по каталогу: PIT3059 Аудиокодек: FLAC (*.flac) Тип рипа: tracks+.cue Битрейт аудио: lossless Продолжительность: 51:01 Источник (релизер): tdelyon Наличие сканов в содержимом раздачи: даТреклист: 01. Variations on a Theme by Schumann I (Hays) - 1:02 02. Bluetude I (Hays) - 3:05 03. The Dervish of Harlem I (Hays) - 1:16 04. Song for the Amiable Child I (Hays) - 2:17 05. Contrapunctus I (Hays) - 2:46 06. Rumi's View I (Hays) - 3:27 07. Countermyth I (Hays) - 0:47 08. Rhyming Game I (Hays) - 1:19 09. The Dervish of Harlem II (Hays) - 2:50 10. Countermyth II (Hays) - 1:06 11. Langsam (Hays) - 2:14 12. The Long Line (Hays) - 0:49 13. Song for the Amiable Child II (Hays) - 1:15 14. Countermyth III (Hays) - 0:55 15. Variations on a Theme by Schumann II (Hays) - 2:26 16. Bluetude II (Hays) - 2:29 17. Rhyming Game II (Hays) - 1:45 18. Countermyth IV (Hays) - 0:57 19. Rumi's View II (Hays) - 2:11 20. Contrapunctus II (Hays) - 3:04 21. Song for the Amiable Child III (Hays) - 2:18 22. The Dervish of Harlem III (Hays) - 3:04 23. Bluetude III (Hays) - 3:54 24. Variations on a Theme by Schumann III (Hays) - 3:45Состав: Kevin Hays - pianoRecorded at Bennett Studios, New Jersey on December 2-3, 2010.  Лог создания рипа Exact Audio Copy V1.0 beta 3 from 29. August 2011EAC extraction logfile from 25. October 2014, 18:06Kevin Hays / VariationsUsed drive : PHILIPS SPD3400CC Adapter: 0 ID: 0Read mode : SecureUtilize accurate stream : YesDefeat audio cache : YesMake use of C2 pointers : NoRead offset correction : 6Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : NoFill up missing offset samples with silence : YesDelete leading and trailing silent blocks : NoNull samples used in CRC calculations : YesUsed interface : Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000Gap handling : Appended to previous trackUsed output format : User Defined EncoderSelected bitrate : 1024 kBit/sQuality : HighAdd ID3 tag : NoCommand line compressor : C:\Program Files (x86)\Exact Audio Copy\FLAC\FLAC.EXEAdditional command line options : -8 -V -T "ARTIST=%artist%" -T "TITLE=%title%" -T "ALBUM=%albumtitle%" -T "DATE=%year%" -T "TRACKNUMBER=%tracknr%" -T "TOTALTRACKS=%numtracks%" -T "GENRE=%genre%" -T "ALBUM ARTIST=%albumartist%" -T "ALBUMARTIST=%albumartist%" -T "COMMENT=EAC V1.0 beta 3, Secure Mode, Test & Copy, AccurateRip, FLAC -8" %source%TOC of the extracted CD Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector --------------------------------------------------------- 1 | 0:00.00 | 1:01.38 | 0 | 4612 2 | 1:01.38 | 3:04.72 | 4613 | 18484 3 | 4:06.35 | 1:16.27 | 18485 | 24211 4 | 5:22.62 | 2:17.36 | 24212 | 34522 5 | 7:40.23 | 2:45.51 | 34523 | 46948 6 | 10:25.74 | 3:26.54 | 46949 | 62452 7 | 13:52.53 | 0:47.36 | 62453 | 66013 8 | 14:40.14 | 1:18.69 | 66014 | 71932 9 | 15:59.08 | 2:49.71 | 71933 | 84678 10 | 18:49.04 | 1:05.65 | 84679 | 89618 11 | 19:54.69 | 2:14.10 | 89619 | 99678 12 | 22:09.04 | 0:49.07 | 99679 | 103360 13 | 22:58.11 | 1:15.31 | 103361 | 109016 14 | 24:13.42 | 0:55.32 | 109017 | 113173 15 | 25:08.74 | 2:25.48 | 113174 | 124096 16 | 27:34.47 | 2:28.46 | 124097 | 135242 17 | 30:03.18 | 1:45.00 | 135243 | 143117 18 | 31:48.18 | 0:57.18 | 143118 | 147410 19 | 32:45.36 | 2:11.24 | 147411 | 157259 20 | 34:56.60 | 3:04.35 | 157260 | 171094 21 | 38:01.20 | 2:18.20 | 171095 | 181464 22 | 40:19.40 | 3:04.28 | 181465 | 195292 23 | 43:23.68 | 3:54.26 | 195293 | 212868 24 | 47:18.19 | 3:45.01 | 212869 | 229744Track 1 Filename C:\Users\Maison\Downloads\Rips\01 - Variations on a Theme by Schumann I.wav Pre-gap length 0:00:02.00 Peak level 59.8 % Extraction speed 1.3 X Track quality 100.0 % Test CRC 1C5ED324 Copy CRC 1C5ED324 Accurately ripped (confidence 4) [EF0AD45C] (AR v2) Copy OKTrack 2 Filename C:\Users\Maison\Downloads\Rips\02 - Bluetude I.wav Peak level 87.8 % Extraction speed 1.8 X Track quality 100.0 % Test CRC 8F9CB81A Copy CRC 8F9CB81A Accurately ripped (confidence 4) [99DFDE07] (AR v2) Copy OKTrack 3 Filename C:\Users\Maison\Downloads\Rips\03 - The Dervish of Harlem I.wav Peak level 81.4 % Extraction speed 1.2 X Track quality 99.8 % Test CRC 4AC0A924 Copy CRC 4AC0A924 Accurately ripped (confidence 4) [1D2B395C] (AR v2) Copy OKTrack 4 Filename C:\Users\Maison\Downloads\Rips\04 - Song for the Amiable Child I.wav Peak level 77.3 % Extraction speed 1.9 X Track quality 100.0 % Test CRC 7C0A3314 Copy CRC 7C0A3314 Accurately ripped (confidence 4) [E3E9FE0B] (AR v2) Copy OKTrack 5 Filename C:\Users\Maison\Downloads\Rips\05 - Contrapunctus I.wav Peak level 83.9 % Extraction speed 1.7 X Track quality 99.9 % Test CRC 7673A99C Copy CRC 7673A99C Accurately ripped (confidence 4) [3E359087] (AR v2) Copy OKTrack 6 Filename C:\Users\Maison\Downloads\Rips\06 - Rumi's View I.wav Peak level 45.1 % Extraction speed 2.3 X Track quality 100.0 % Test CRC 0815DD13 Copy CRC 0815DD13 Accurately ripped (confidence 4) [B6587C46] (AR v2) Copy OKTrack 7 Filename C:\Users\Maison\Downloads\Rips\07 - Countermyth I.wav Pre-gap length 0:00:04.08 Peak level 64.3 % Extraction speed 1.0 X Track quality 99.7 % Test CRC 5BF9ABA5 Copy CRC 5BF9ABA5 Accurately ripped (confidence 4) [3BB804C1] (AR v2) Copy OKTrack 8 Filename C:\Users\Maison\Downloads\Rips\08 - Rhyming Game I.wav Pre-gap length 0:00:02.41 Peak level 87.8 % Extraction speed 1.9 X Track quality 100.0 % Test CRC 325AA026 Copy CRC 325AA026 Accurately ripped (confidence 4) [CF69FE2E] (AR v2) Copy OKTrack 9 Filename C:\Users\Maison\Downloads\Rips\09 - The Dervish of Harlem II.wav Pre-gap length 0:00:05.58 Peak level 99.6 % Extraction speed 1.9 X Track quality 99.9 % Test CRC 2A88ED28 Copy CRC 2A88ED28 Accurately ripped (confidence 4) [17DA5EF9] (AR v2) Copy OKTrack 10 Filename C:\Users\Maison\Downloads\Rips\10 - Countermyth II.wav Peak level 65.2 % Extraction speed 1.9 X Track quality 100.0 % Test CRC 87969B57 Copy CRC 87969B57 Accurately ripped (confidence 4) [C07A7862] (AR v2) Copy OKTrack 11 Filename C:\Users\Maison\Downloads\Rips\11 - Langsam.wav Pre-gap length 0:00:02.49 Peak level 60.1 % Extraction speed 1.8 X Track quality 99.9 % Test CRC D01EA6DA Copy CRC D01EA6DA Accurately ripped (confidence 4) [1F1E303F] (AR v2) Copy OKTrack 12 Filename C:\Users\Maison\Downloads\Rips\12 - The Long Line.wav Peak level 58.0 % Extraction speed 1.0 X Track quality 99.7 % Test CRC 97346876 Copy CRC 97346876 Accurately ripped (confidence 4) [CAE5B370] (AR v2) Copy OKTrack 13 Filename C:\Users\Maison\Downloads\Rips\13 - Song for the Amiable Child II.wav Pre-gap length 0:00:02.72 Peak level 79.5 % Extraction speed 2.1 X Track quality 100.0 % Test CRC A606840A Copy CRC A606840A Accurately ripped (confidence 4) [DA25D6DB] (AR v2) Copy OKTrack 14 Filename C:\Users\Maison\Downloads\Rips\14 - Countermyth III.wav Pre-gap length 0:00:03.09 Peak level 55.4 % Extraction speed 1.1 X Track quality 99.8 % Test CRC DBADCF4F Copy CRC DBADCF4F Accurately ripped (confidence 4) [7B4C9FD4] (AR v2) Copy OKTrack 15 Filename C:\Users\Maison\Downloads\Rips\15 - Variations on a Theme by Schumann II.wav Pre-gap length 0:00:03.41 Peak level 92.4 % Extraction speed 2.6 X Track quality 100.0 % Test CRC 83787B43 Copy CRC 83787B43 Accurately ripped (confidence 4) [FD384AF9] (AR v2) Copy OKTrack 16 Filename C:\Users\Maison\Downloads\Rips\16 - Bluetude II.wav Peak level 99.8 % Extraction speed 2.7 X Track quality 100.0 % Test CRC 1C631D9F Copy CRC 1C631D9F Accurately ripped (confidence 4) [B2FA4626] (AR v2) Copy OKTrack 17 Filename C:\Users\Maison\Downloads\Rips\17 - Rhyming Game II.wav Peak level 94.4 % Extraction speed 2.5 X Track quality 100.0 % Test CRC 5B72C85B Copy CRC 5B72C85B Accurately ripped (confidence 4) [5219BEF2] (AR v2) Copy OKTrack 18 Filename C:\Users\Maison\Downloads\Rips\18 - Countermyth IV.wav Pre-gap length 0:00:02.68 Peak level 68.4 % Extraction speed 2.2 X Track quality 100.0 % Test CRC FE61C619 Copy CRC FE61C619 Accurately ripped (confidence 4) [DF2DB636] (AR v2) Copy OKTrack 19 Filename C:\Users\Maison\Downloads\Rips\19 - Rumi's View II.wav Peak level 48.3 % Extraction speed 2.8 X Track quality 100.0 % Test CRC 4CDD6DE0 Copy CRC 4CDD6DE0 Accurately ripped (confidence 4) [12194417] (AR v2) Copy OKTrack 20 Filename C:\Users\Maison\Downloads\Rips\20 - Contrapunctus II.wav Peak level 83.6 % Extraction speed 3.0 X Track quality 100.0 % Test CRC 51B98699 Copy CRC 51B98699 Accurately ripped (confidence 4) [44CE3794] (AR v2) Copy OKTrack 21 Filename C:\Users\Maison\Downloads\Rips\21 - Song for the Amiable Child III.wav Pre-gap length 0:00:04.31 Peak level 41.5 % Extraction speed 3.0 X Track quality 100.0 % Test CRC A612972D Copy CRC A612972D Accurately ripped (confidence 4) [FF0E59B7] (AR v2) Copy OKTrack 22 Filename C:\Users\Maison\Downloads\Rips\22 - The Dervish of Harlem III.wav Peak level 48.9 % Extraction speed 3.2 X Track quality 100.0 % Test CRC 9D6B492E Copy CRC 9D6B492E Accurately ripped (confidence 4) [5D01EF1B] (AR v2) Copy OKTrack 23 Filename C:\Users\Maison\Downloads\Rips\23 - Bluetude III.wav Pre-gap length 0:00:03.58 Peak level 99.8 % Extraction speed 2.6 X Track quality 99.9 % Test CRC 8F577B9F Copy CRC 8F577B9F Accurately ripped (confidence 4) [0BE3BBE6] (AR v2) Copy OKTrack 24 Filename C:\Users\Maison\Downloads\Rips\24 - Variations on a Theme by Schumann III.wav Pre-gap length 0:00:04.40 Peak level 83.1 % Extraction speed 3.4 X Track quality 100.0 % Test CRC C6314063 Copy CRC C6314063 Accurately ripped (confidence 4) [FB0554CC] (AR v2) Copy OKAll tracks accurately rippedNo errors occurredEnd of status report==== Log checksum 66575365CDCF0525FE16583DD2E8F87205D929A26D4E93EAF251AED7F4AB174C ====  Содержание индексной карты (.CUE) REM GENRE JazzREM DATE 2011REM DISCID 380BF718REM COMMENT "ExactAudioCopy v1.0b3"PERFORMER "Kevin Hays"TITLE "Variations"FILE "01 - Variations on a Theme by Schumann I.wav" WAVE TRACK 01 AUDIO TITLE "Variations on a Theme by Schumann I" PERFORMER "Kevin Hays" ISRC DEEN41105901 INDEX 01 00:00:00FILE "02 - Bluetude I.wav" WAVE TRACK 02 AUDIO TITLE "Bluetude I" PERFORMER "Kevin Hays" ISRC DEEN41105902 INDEX 01 00:00:00FILE "03 - The Dervish of Harlem I.wav" WAVE TRACK 03 AUDIO TITLE "The Dervish of Harlem I" PERFORMER "Kevin Hays" ISRC DEEN41105903 INDEX 01 00:00:00FILE "04 - Song for the Amiable Child I.wav" WAVE TRACK 04 AUDIO TITLE "Song for the Amiable Child I" PERFORMER "Kevin Hays" ISRC DEEN41105904 INDEX 01 00:00:00FILE "05 - Contrapunctus I.wav" WAVE TRACK 05 AUDIO TITLE "Contrapunctus I" PERFORMER "Kevin Hays" ISRC DEEN41105904 INDEX 01 00:00:00FILE "06 - Rumi's View I.wav" WAVE TRACK 06 AUDIO TITLE "Rumi's View I" PERFORMER "Kevin Hays" ISRC DEEN41105906 INDEX 01 00:00:00 TRACK 07 AUDIO TITLE "Countermyth I" PERFORMER "Kevin Hays" ISRC DEEN41105907 INDEX 00 03:22:46FILE "07 - Countermyth I.wav" WAVE INDEX 01 00:00:00 TRACK 08 AUDIO TITLE "Rhyming Game I" PERFORMER "Kevin Hays" ISRC DEEN41105908 INDEX 00 00:44:70FILE "08 - Rhyming Game I.wav" WAVE INDEX 01 00:00:00 TRACK 09 AUDIO TITLE "The Dervish of Harlem II" PERFORMER "Kevin Hays" ISRC DEEN41105909 INDEX 00 01:13:11FILE "09 - The Dervish of Harlem II.wav" WAVE INDEX 01 00:00:00FILE "10 - Countermyth II.wav" WAVE TRACK 10 AUDIO TITLE "Countermyth II" PERFORMER "Kevin Hays" ISRC DEEN41105910 INDEX 01 00:00:00 TRACK 11 AUDIO TITLE "Langsam" PERFORMER "Kevin Hays" ISRC DEEN41105911 INDEX 00 01:03:16FILE "11 - Langsam.wav" WAVE INDEX 01 00:00:00FILE "12 - The Long Line.wav" WAVE TRACK 12 AUDIO TITLE "The Long Line" PERFORMER "Kevin Hays" ISRC DEEN41105912 INDEX 01 00:00:00 TRACK 13 AUDIO TITLE "Song for the Amiable Child II" PERFORMER "Kevin Hays" ISRC DEEN41105913 INDEX 00 00:46:10FILE "13 - Song for the Amiable Child II.wav" WAVE INDEX 01 00:00:00 TRACK 14 AUDIO TITLE "Countermyth III" PERFORMER "Kevin Hays" ISRC DEEN41105914 INDEX 00 01:12:22FILE "14 - Countermyth III.wav" WAVE INDEX 01 00:00:00 TRACK 15 AUDIO TITLE "Variations on a Theme by Schumann II" PERFORMER "Kevin Hays" ISRC DEEN41105915 INDEX 00 00:51:66FILE "15 - Variations on a Theme by Schumann II.wav" WAVE INDEX 01 00:00:00FILE "16 - Bluetude II.wav" WAVE TRACK 16 AUDIO TITLE "Bluetude II" PERFORMER "Kevin Hays" ISRC DEEN41105916 INDEX 01 00:00:00FILE "17 - Rhyming Game II.wav" WAVE TRACK 17 AUDIO TITLE "Rhyming Game II" PERFORMER "Kevin Hays" ISRC DEEN41105917 INDEX 01 00:00:00 TRACK 18 AUDIO TITLE "Countermyth IV" PERFORMER "Kevin Hays" ISRC DEEN41105918 INDEX 00 01:42:07FILE "18 - Countermyth IV.wav" WAVE INDEX 01 00:00:00FILE "19 - Rumi's View II.wav" WAVE TRACK 19 AUDIO TITLE "Rumi's View II" PERFORMER "Kevin Hays" ISRC DEEN41105919 INDEX 01 00:00:00FILE "20 - Contrapunctus II.wav" WAVE TRACK 20 AUDIO TITLE "Contrapunctus II" PERFORMER "Kevin Hays" ISRC DEEN41105920 INDEX 01 00:00:00 TRACK 21 AUDIO TITLE "Song for the Amiable Child III" PERFORMER "Kevin Hays" ISRC DEEN41105921 INDEX 00 03:00:04FILE "21 - Song for the Amiable Child III.wav" WAVE INDEX 01 00:00:00FILE "22 - The Dervish of Harlem III.wav" WAVE TRACK 22 AUDIO TITLE "The Dervish of Harlem III" PERFORMER "Kevin Hays" ISRC DEEN41105922 INDEX 01 00:00:00 TRACK 23 AUDIO TITLE "Bluetude III" PERFORMER "Kevin Hays" ISRC DEEN41105923 INDEX 00 03:00:45FILE "23 - Bluetude III.wav" WAVE INDEX 01 00:00:00 TRACK 24 AUDIO TITLE "Variations on a Theme by Schumann III" PERFORMER "Kevin Hays" ISRC DEEN41105924 INDEX 00 03:49:61FILE "24 - Variations on a Theme by Schumann III.wav" WAVE INDEX 01 00:00:00  Отчет CUETools [CUETools log; Date: 02.11.2014 14:38:32; Version: 2.1.5][CTDB TOCID: HN3gM_NcxeKXJOgi8plrX4i2Y2k-] found.Track | CTDB Status 1 | (5/5) Accurately ripped 2 | (5/5) Accurately ripped 3 | (5/5) Accurately ripped 4 | (5/5) Accurately ripped 5 | (5/5) Accurately ripped 6 | (5/5) Accurately ripped 7 | (5/5) Accurately ripped 8 | (5/5) Accurately ripped 9 | (5/5) Accurately ripped 10 | (5/5) Accurately ripped 11 | (5/5) Accurately ripped 12 | (5/5) Accurately ripped 13 | (5/5) Accurately ripped 14 | (5/5) Accurately ripped 15 | (5/5) Accurately ripped 16 | (5/5) Accurately ripped 17 | (5/5) Accurately ripped 18 | (5/5) Accurately ripped 19 | (5/5) Accurately ripped 20 | (5/5) Accurately ripped 21 | (5/5) Accurately ripped 22 | (5/5) Accurately ripped 23 | (5/5) Accurately ripped 24 | (5/5) Accurately ripped[AccurateRip ID: 00281303-02b734ec-380bf718] found.Track [ CRC | V2 ] Status 01 [5136f0b1|ef0ad45c] (0+4/4) Accurately ripped 02 [71f0df76|99dfde07] (0+4/4) Accurately ripped 03 [b9b29453|1d2b395c] (0+4/4) Accurately ripped 04 [2f57e939|e3e9fe0b] (0+4/4) Accurately ripped 05 [5b8e56a4|3e359087] (0+4/4) Accurately ripped 06 [5a70220c|b6587c46] (0+4/4) Accurately ripped 07 [9de6fb8f|3bb804c1] (0+4/4) Accurately ripped 08 [9f70a1ec|cf69fe2e] (0+4/4) Accurately ripped 09 [dceb1c63|17da5ef9] (0+4/4) Accurately ripped 10 [59ec27ed|c07a7862] (0+4/4) Accurately ripped 11 [e5903fd4|1f1e303f] (0+4/4) Accurately ripped 12 [5bb22fc4|cae5b370] (0+4/4) Accurately ripped 13 [a021db45|da25d6db] (0+4/4) Accurately ripped 14 [c886ff6e|7b4c9fd4] (0+4/4) Accurately ripped 15 [f09714e0|fd384af9] (0+4/4) Accurately ripped 16 [4c6fa3d1|b2fa4626] (0+4/4) Accurately ripped 17 [9bea4644|5219bef2] (0+4/4) Accurately ripped 18 [11828b47|df2db636] (0+4/4) Accurately ripped 19 [8666bd4a|12194417] (0+4/4) Accurately ripped 20 [b229b39b|44ce3794] (0+4/4) Accurately ripped 21 [2f2f74c0|ff0e59b7] (0+4/4) Accurately ripped 22 [720224f5|5d01ef1b] (0+4/4) Accurately ripped 23 [3aa17e52|0be3bbe6] (0+4/4) Accurately ripped 24 [a76cddb6|fb0554cc] (0+4/4) Accurately rippedTrack Peak [ CRC32 ] [W/O NULL] [ LOG ] -- 99,8 [979C7EC4] [C179639C] 01 59,8 [1C5ED324] [2347A290] CRC32 02 87,8 [8F9CB81A] [E20EC067] CRC32 03 81,4 [4AC0A924] [31336611] CRC32 04 77,3 [7C0A3314] [E4DB46E9] CRC32 05 83,9 [7673A99C] [65B1E782] CRC32 06 45,1 [0815DD13] [4F89D15D] CRC32 07 64,3 [5BF9ABA5] [F85753D5] CRC32 08 87,8 [325AA026] [D6DDD262] CRC32 09 99,6 [2A88ED28] [E96FEE19] CRC32 10 65,2 [87969B57] [1A23EA9E] CRC32 11 60,1 [D01EA6DA] [BF66C035] CRC32 12 58,0 [97346876] [90C5BB50] CRC32 13 79,5 [A606840A] [F922D6D5] CRC32 14 55,4 [DBADCF4F] [CB08EEF3] CRC32 15 92,4 [83787B43] [4D06DA93] CRC32 16 99,8 [1C631D9F] [59931EE4] CRC32 17 94,4 [5B72C85B] [BD728A99] CRC32 18 68,4 [FE61C619] [D81B9D10] CRC32 19 48,3 [4CDD6DE0] [CFE41ABA] CRC32 20 83,6 [51B98699] [955DF77C] CRC32 21 41,5 [A612972D] [3BEA3087] CRC32 22 48,9 [9D6B492E] [1E4202F7] CRC32 23 99,8 [8F577B9F] [1DD2ABCF] CRC32 24 83,1 [C6314063] [37625650] CRC32  Review by Dan BilawskyWhen famed jazz scholar Gunther Schuller first coined the term "Thematic Improvisation," he wasn't introducing a new concept so much as shedding light on how jazz artists had come to use the age-old "Theme And Variations" format in their own sweet way. While nobody would argue that grand compositional gestures or outré improvisations from a master musician can be revealing, hearing an artist dissect and rebuild a musical theme on the spot is the real window into their mind. A musician may have all of the usual musical tools at their disposal, like key changes, tempo changes, rhythmic diminution and augmentation, and harmonic and melodic alteration, but they're only tools, and the artist still has to do the heavy lifting with the head, hands and heart. Noted pianist Kevin Hays explores the virtues of variants on this simply titled CD, as he delivers 24 musical miniatures in just over fifty minutes. The music itself can be alternately prosaic, romantic, staid, somber, unsettling, or stirring, but all of it paints Hays as a wizard of harmony and clarity. His touch places him in a class by himself and he seems to be one of the few ivory ticklers that understand how to use the full range of the instrument. Few pianists dare to spend time in the deepest recesses of the eighty-eights, and most who try end up creating a muddy mess, but Hays has big ears and fine fingers that coax rich and wondrous harmonies from the piano's deepest, darkest places. While a clear choice was made not to program the thematically linked pieces in order, skipping around to hear all of the variations on the same idea in sequence may be the best way to visit this music and appreciate his method of development and creation. Hays uses simplicity as an entry point to more Romantic notions, eventually ending up in dirge-like environs with deeply resonant bass tones that resemble a tolling bell of doom on his "Variations On A Theme By Schumann," but that's only one of several scenarios explored herein. Elsewhere, he milks angular piano paranoia for all it's worth ("The Dervish Of Harlem" variations), plays the part of a pseudo-minimalist with repeated arpeggiated lines ("Bluetude" variants), and deals with Baroque ideals as subtext in his work during parts of the "Contrapunctus" and "Countermyth" collections. On the whole, Variations tends to lean toward the modern classical side of music, with improvisatory creationism being its one and only true link to jazz, but labeling is beside the point. Variations is pure pianism on parade.