"Van Gogh's Left Ear" is one of the more atmospheric compositions on Kenny Garrett's 1992 album Black Hope, featuring the alto saxophonist playing soprano saxophone in a waltz-time setting. The evocative title reflects Garrett's penchant for compositions that carry a narrative or visual dimension, and the piece's 88-bar AA' form in D minor provides an unusually expansive harmonic canvas. At a moderate waltz tempo of 122 beats per minute, Garrett's two soprano saxophone choruses unfold with lyrical patience, his playing on the straight horn revealing a more contemplative side of his artistry than the fierce alto work heard elsewhere on the album. Kenny Kirkland follows with a single chorus of piano improvisation, his sophisticated harmonic sensibility ideally suited to the piece's languid, impressionistic mood. The waltz feel lends the performance a European elegance that distinguishes it from the hard-bop intensity of surrounding tracks. Charnett Moffett and Brian Blade provide rhythmic support that breathes with the music's ebb and flow. "Van Gogh's Left Ear" demonstrates the breadth of Garrett's compositional imagination and his versatility as a multi-instrumentalist, adding a dimension of reflective beauty to an album otherwise defined by its raw power.
