Tenor saxophonist Chris Madsen is joined by bassist Clark Sommers and drummer Dana Hall for The Trio Book, a foray into delicately balanced and intimate chamber jazz. The steady and decisively interactive bassist Sommers has recorded frequently since his first session with singer Eden Atwood in 2000. Since then, he’s been heard most frequently with pianist Dan Cray and reedman Geof Bradfield. The Chicago-based drummer Hall has also worked with Bradfield, along with luminaries like trumpeters Malachi Thompson, Brad Goode, and Terell Stafford. As a team, Hall and Sommers have played on sessions led by Bradfield, trumpeter Darren Johnston, tenor saxist Adam Larson, and a previous effort by Madsen. And I’d bet they shared the bandstand on plenty of gigs over the years. All of which serves to point out the virtues of familiarity in a creative music context. Madsen has a real knack for finding generative material for the trio setting. The set kicks off with Steve Swallow’s best-known composition, Eiderdown, first recorded in 1965 on Pete La Roca’s Basra album. From the start, it’s apparent that the trio has excellent cohesion and responsiveness. Following their lengthy and fruitful investigation of the Swallow piece, they continue with Omar Hakim’s Amethyst Secrets (from his 1989 Rhythm Deep album, and the biggest surprise on The Trio Book). The simple melody, played fairly slowly, provides the trio with an elegant vehicle that showcases the thoughtful side of Madsen’s saxophone playing. N.R.W. is the session’s sole original composition, in a similar vein to the Hakim tune. Hall’s brushwork on the first half of this one is simply beautiful, and so is the trio’s dynamic arc as the performance builds to a climax. Both Joe Chambers’ Mirrors and Freddie Hubbard’s D Minor Mint first appeared on Hubbard’s 1965 Breaking Point album. The Hubbard tune, a straight-ahead swinger, gets a spirited rendition, with energetic tenor, robust bass, and splashy drums. The trio’s exquisite dissection of Mirrors is another of the disc’s many highlights. In the most extroverted performance on the disc, the band tackles Wes Montgomery’s West Coast Blues in a take from an earlier recording session in 2018. A funky Hall is having a ball on this number. The album concludes with Granada, a tune by reedman Chris Cheek from 1999, and another carefully modulated excursion into empathetic trio dynamics. The more I listen to this music, the more I appreciate it and find new aspects to enjoy. This is a collection that rewards close listening. Highly recommended.
JMarg; Chris Madsen (ts) Clark Sommers (b) Dana Hall (d); Chicago, IL, March 23, 2021, exc. *July 3, 2018; Eiderdown/ Amethyst Secrets/ N.R.W./ D Minor Mint/ Mirrors/ West Coast Blues*/ Granada; 46:46. www.chrismadsen.net
