Stuart Kremsky was the San Francisco “Short Takes” correspondent for Cadence magazine from 1979-2007. His reviews have appeared in Option, Sound Choice, Cadence, and the IAJRC Journal. He was a sound man at the fabled Keystone Korner and for over ten years was the tape archivist for Fantasy Records, where his production credits include boxed sets of Sonny Stitt, Dexter Gordon, the Modern Jazz Quartet and the Grammy-nominated Sam Cooke With the Soul Stirrers. Email skremsky1 (at) gmail.com
Monday, May 11, 2020
Kenny Barron / Dave Holland Trio featuring Johnathan Blake: Without Deception
After crossing paths on bandstands around the world in the Seventies, pianist Kenny Barron and bassist Dave Holland first recorded together on Barron’s Scratch album (Enja, 1985). They’ve worked on a few projects together over the years, toured Europe as a duo in 2012, and in 2014 collaborated on The Art Of Conversation (Impulse). Now they’ve extended their working relationship by forming the Kenny Barron / Dave Holland Trio featuring Johnathan Blake, which makes a potent debut with Without Deception, released on Holland’s own Dare 2 label. Blake has been playing drums in Barron’s regular trio with bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa for the last few years, so his presence in this unit is no surprise. The well-chosen repertoire includes originals by Barron and Holland plus four songs by pianists: Mulgrew Miller’s Second Thoughts, Sumi Tonooka’s Secret Places, Duke Ellington’s Warm Valley, and Thelonious Monk’s Worry Later. There’s nothing fancy about the arrangements, just a solid sense of swing at all times as these accomplished musicians offer the equivalent of a master class in the art of the jazz piano trio. Favorite tracks include the supersonic flair of Barron’s Speed Trap with a splashy drum solo, Holland’s jumping Pass It On, a dedication to Ed Blackwell, and the always irresistible Warm Valley. But there’s not a single dull moment on this winning set. Happily recommended.
Dare 2 DARE-011; Kenny Barron (p) Dave Holland (b) Johnathan Blake (d); Mount Vernon, NY, August 17-18, 2019; Porto Alegre/ Second Thoughts/ Without Deception/ Until Then/ Speed Trap/ Secret Places/ Pass It On/ Warm Valley/ I Remember When/ Worry Later; 66:32. daveholland.com
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