Roberta Piket: West Coast Trio

    The piano trio format never seems to go out of style, and it certainly won’t as long as there are such swinging units as Roberta Piket and her West Coast Trio with veterans Darek Oleszkiewicz on bass and Joe La Barbera on drums. For added instrumental color, the trio is joined by guitarist Larry Koonse for two tunes, Piket’s original A Bridge to Nowhere and George Shearing’s Conception, and by percussionist Billy Mintz for Flor de Lis, a tune by the Brazilian singer-songwriter Djavan. Those are just three of the songs chosen to promote creative interplay in a repertoire that leans towards music composed by pianists. Chick Corea’s Humpty Dumpty, from his The Mad Hatter album in 1978, is a particular favorite, with its irrepressible energy and dynamism. Not too many musicians have covered Yemenja, a waltz by John Hicks dating from the mid-seventies, and it’s great to hear it played with the calm groove that Piket establishes from the start. Bassist Oleszkiewicz contributes a lovely solo with the tune’s melody firmly in mind. Piket’s solo is inventive and thoughtful, a fine example of her lyrical approach to the piano. Piket’s own Mentor, with its daunting twists and turns, is dedicated to yet another pianist, Richie Beirach. The oldest tune here is Walter Donaldson’s My Buddy, published in 1922, and popular among jazz musicians since Benny Carter recorded it in 1937. The Piket trio gives the song plenty of respect, maybe too much in this languid performance. Happily, that’s the shortest track on the disc and they jump right back with the Shearing tune. The tune features some slick guitaristics from Los Angeles mainstay Koonse and exceptionally exuberant work by the superb Joe La Barbara. With such stellar results, let’s hope that Piket makes it out west more often. Definitely recommended.
13th Note TNR011; Roberta Piket (p) Darek Oleszkiewicz (b) Joe La Barbera (d) Larry Koonse (g on *) Billy Mintz (perc on #); Glendale, CA, April 13-14, 2017; Mentor/ Falling In Love With Love/ A Bridge to Nowhere*/ Humpty Dumpty/ Flor de Lis#/ Yemenja/ My Buddy/ Conception*/ Windmills of Your Mind; 54:39. robertajazz.com