{"id":11454,"date":"2025-10-21T13:21:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T18:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?p=11454"},"modified":"2025-10-25T18:21:02","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T23:21:02","slug":"review-stargazer-donelian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/review-stargazer-donelian\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Armen Donelian\u2019s \u2018Stargazer\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Stargazer<\/em> (Sunnyside, 2025) is a reissue of an album by a trio of pianist Armen Donelian with bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Billy Hart that first appeared forty-five years ago, in 1980. Originally released and distributed on Atlas Records in Japan, it was available only as an import elsewhere. Soon thereafter, Atlas went out of business, and most copies vanished. Thus, although the title composition appears on three other albums by the leader for the label \u2014A Reverie<\/em> (Sunnyside, 1995), The Wayfarer<\/em> (Sunnyside, 1990), and All or Nothing at All<\/em> (Sunnyside, 2006) \u2014Stargazer<\/em> is the first time most will hear the original album bearing that name in its entirety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time of the recording, Donelian was only a twenty-nine years old protege of pianist Richie Beirach, percussionist Mongo Santamaria, and saxophonist Sonny Rollins. Gomez had built his reputation from providing his recognizable sound to recordings with Bill Evans and Hart his own with Herbie Hancock. But Donelian\u2019s choice to use both artists is not tied to these experiences of either.  As the leader notes, \u201cI had played with Billy several times as a sideman in other bands, and met him working with vocalist Anne Marie Moss. Eddie was someone I had seen play with flutist Jeremy Steig and at Bradley\u2019s in various duos. I was fortunate to have personal contact with them, and I was young and foolish, and asked them. They said yes\u2026They propelled the music to places I\u2019d never gone to and really challenged me.\u201d These challenges paid off well. While the trio hadn\u2019t played together before this date, they quickly established an instant rapport. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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