Paul Tobey: “It’s Time” (2024) CD Review

Jazz pianist Paul Tobey’s new album, It’s Time, is his first in quite some time. Tendonitis in his forearms put a halt to his touring, to his performing. At that time, twenty years ago, he shifted gears and started a company that trains businesses in online marketing. Quite a shift, right? Although I suppose there is at least one common thread, as his company helps others pursue their business dreams, and music helps all of us feel that it’s possible to realize our dreams. And now he’s back at the piano, delivering some excellent music. His new album is a solo effort, on which he presents his own interpretations of some beloved numbers from a variety of composers, along with one original composition. These tracks were recorded in his home studio, Paul Tobey performing on an Ibach grand piano.

He begins the album with “Over The Rainbow,” the song that was ranked number one of the 20th century by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts. That’s something. Paul Tobey offers a beautiful and touching rendition, delivered with warmth and love. This song helps us tap into something larger as we listen to it, as it is one that we all know. We’ve all experienced similar emotions hearing it, and so it unites us, connects us to our fellow men and women, and that’s a powerful thing. This track feels both personal and universal. And once Paul Tobey has given us that sense of being connected, he allows himself to get a little looser, particularly in the track’s second half. And I love those moments when he adds his own touches to it. That is followed by an original composition, “Caminar (The Walking Song).” This one begins with some pretty piano work, and he then develops a rhythm, which has something of a somber feel and is compelling. We do get the feeling of motion, and so when the rhythm is interrupted, there is the sense of stopping to experience something, or to get a better look at something, and this becomes the focus, becomes the world of the song for a time. When the piece is set in motion again, there is a different tone, a cooler, more confident attitude. Ah, what occurred during that sojourn to lead to this change? This piece then takes us back to the earlier part, which is interesting. This feels like a personal journey, and it is one of my favorite tracks.

From there Paul Tobey goes to a song that has personal significance for me, “Take Five,” written by Paul Desmond. This was included on Dave Brubeck’s excellent Time Out, the first jazz album I ever owned, the album that got me interested in jazz, and in particular it was this piece that did it. The drumming was then, and has remained, one of my favorite elements of this piece, and yet Paul Tobey, here without drums, delivers a version that I love. His playing is exciting and lively, and this is for me another of the disc’s highlights. He then changes gears with “A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes,” a song from the Disney movie Cinderella. It makes perfect sense for this song to be included on this album, for it’s about never giving up on dreams, urging us to keep on dreaming. There is a light feel to this one, and after that initial section, Paul Tobey gives it a more playful touch, delivering the song with warmth and cheer. That’s followed by a rather beautiful rendition of “My Foolish Heart,” this instrumental version avoiding the possible charge of sentimentality of the lyrics. It feels like a wonderful dream at times, one you can wrap yourself up in.

Paul Tobey turns romantic with his rendition of “Nancy With The Laughing Face.” It is an instrumental rendition, obviously, but hearing it I can’t help but think of those first two lines: “If I don’t see her each day, I miss her/Gee, what a thrill each time I kiss her.” I hope everyone gets to experience that feeling, and I count as my greatest fortune the fact that I do. Paul Tobey’s rendition conveys that incredible, beautiful feeling. It is soothing and warm. There is a glow to his playing. This music reminds us of the better part of humanity. This track is another of my personal favorites. He then gets into the blues with “You Don’t Know What Love Is,” a song of melancholy, but also of experience, and about how we’d be lacking something important if we didn’t know ache. And ultimately it is a love song, isn’t it? Paul Tobey conveys all of that in his playing, making this track yet another of the disc’s highlights. The album then concludes with a much shorter rendition of that song.

CD Track List

1. Over The Rainbow
2. Caminar (The Walking Song)
3. Take Five
4. A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes
5. My Foolish Heart
6. Nancy With The Laughing Face
7. You Don’t Know What Love Is
8. You Don’t Know What Love Is – Radio Take

It’s Time was released on June 28, 2024. Does this release mean that he will be back on tour? His website promises tour dates will be announced soon.