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Jazz As Art
Rob Luft
Riser
When you listen to music, you sometimes conjure images in your mind. Our Jazz As Art series invites you to listen to a piece of jazz and as it plays, scroll down the page and see which of the pieces of art I have chosen comes closest to the pictures in your mind. Hopefully, this will introduce you to recordings and art works you might not have spent time with before.
Award winning guitarist Rob Luft only graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in 2016 year but already has a formidable CV. On awarding Rob the Kenny Wheeler Prize that year, judge and Edition Records boss Dave Stapleton said: ‘In this sixth year of the Kenny Wheeler prize, the wealth of talent emerging from the Academy’s Jazz course continues to astound us on the panel. It is an exciting and encouraging indication of just how strong the future looks for the jazz scene ... It was in this spirit that the music and guitar playing of Rob Luft shone through. He is already a remarkably experienced and accomplished musician, and he presented a clear vision that was particularly coherent with both the legacy of Kenny’s own aesthetic, and with Edition’s artistic direction. Rob’s own musical direction combined with his gifts as an instrumentalist and composer, will no doubt provide huge value to the strength of the European jazz scene in the future and we look forward to sharing Rob's journey on releasing his debut album'.
Rob's debut album, Riser, was released in July 2017 and in my review I wrote 'This is an impressive debut album by Rob Luft and reaffirms his place in our jazz music wonderland'. The whole album is a joy, but here you can play the title track, Riser, and you can scroll down to see eight paintings that I think might go with the music. Do you agree? Which do you think works best?
Award winning guitarist Rob Luft only graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in 2016 year but already has a formidable CV. On awarding Rob the Kenny Wheeler Prize that year, judge and Edition Records boss Dave Stapleton said: ‘In this sixth year of the Kenny Wheeler prize, the wealth of talent emerging from the Academy’s Jazz course continues to astound us on the panel. It is an exciting and encouraging indication of just how strong the future looks for the jazz scene ... It was in this spirit that the music and guitar playing of Rob Luft shone through. He is already a remarkably experienced and accomplished musician, and he presented a clear vision that was particularly coherent with both the legacy of Kenny’s own aesthetic, and with Edition’s artistic direction. Rob’s own musical direction combined with his gifts as an instrumentalist and composer, will no doubt provide huge value to the strength of the European jazz scene in the future and we look forward to sharing Rob's journey on releasing his debut album'. 
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