Since at least the 1950's, when pianists Red Garland, Bill Evans, Bud Powell, and Ahmad Jamal, among many others, led popular trios, the basic format of piano, bass, and drums has been a constant in the jazz world, encompassing a amazing array of styles and interactive approaches. It’s an instrumental lineup that never seems to get old, and every year brings new additions to the piano trio canon....
Fifty or so years ago, I remember looking at a friend’s large record collection. Noticing that he had something like 50 Bill Evans records, I recall thinking how weird it was to have so much music by one pianist. That was then. I’ve learned my lesson over the decades, and although I don’t have 50 Evans titles, I do have quite a lot of piano trio albums by the likes of Red Garland, Cedar Walton, Ray Bryant, George Cables, Paul Bley, and Fred Hersch. Possibly the last major pianist to have learned his craft on the job, and not in school, Hersch is credited in the Jazz Discography with 58 sessions as leader since Horizons, his 1984 debut on Concord Records. That album featured a trio with Marc Johnson on bass and Joey Baron on drums. Baron and Hersch played together on a number of albums in the Eighties, and now they’ve reunited for The Surrounding Green, with bassist Drew Gress, a frequent partner for Hersch since 1992. Recorded in what’s become Hersch’s favorite space, the Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI in Lugano, Switzerland, the music unfolds with immense charm and deep feeling. The mix of original tunes and choice selections from the jazz world, like Ornette Coleman’s Law Years and Charlie Haden’s First Song, is typical of a Hersch program. ECM’s typically crustal-clear recording of the trio serves to enhance their interior dynamics. The Surrounding Green is not to be missed, with music that will be enjoyed over and over in the years to come. ECM 2836; Fred Hersch (p) Drew Gress (b) Joey Baron (d); Lugano, Switzerland, May 2024; Plainsong/ Law Years/ The Surrounding Green/ Palhaço/ Embraceable You/ First Song/ Anticipation; 41:39. ecmrecords.com
It only takes a couple of minutes to realize that pianist Michika Fukumori is a distinctive composer and an utterly self-assured presence at the keyboard. A long-time student of pianist Steve Kuhn, she wrote the first seven tunes on the enjoyable Eternity And A Day, where she’s joined by Steve Whipple on bass and veteran Adam Nussbaum on drums. Fukumori and Whipple have played together frequently over the last decade, and their rapport is apparent. Nussbaum got his start in the late Seventies, playing on record dates led by prominent jazzmen like Dave Liebman and John Scofield, and he’s appeared on over 300 sessions since then. Another Tomorrow gets things off to an excellent start with a hard bop styled melody, influenced by Horace Silver and Bobby Timmons. The title track is a calm and introspective ballad. Fukumori’s other original tunes follow, comprising a sort of suite: the Brazilian-flavored Acaso, the jaunty Our Future (Reiwa), the tender The Light of Dawn, the gentle blues of Port (The Departure) and ending with There is Always Light, another mellow theme with a definite blues feeling. The four pieces from other sources reveal Fukumori’s wide-ranging exploration of the jazz repertoire. Kurt Weill’s Speak Low, written for the Broadway musical, One Touch Of Venus, was a 1943 hit single by Guy Lombardo & His Orchestra. In spite of that dubious pedigree, the song was frequently performed by singers including Billie Holiday and Tony Bennett, as well as instrumentalists like Chet Baker, Booker Ervin, Woody Shaw, and dozens of others. The Fukumori trio has a lot of fun with the song, starting out pretty briskly and really surging into high gear after Fukumori and an energized Nussbaum trade fours. The glacial opening to the solo piano medley of Chopin’s Prelude No. 28 and Jobim’s How Insensitive is slightly jarring at first, but the piece showcases the delicacy of her touch. Similarly, the rubato introduction to Fats Waller’s immortal Jitterbug Waltz belies the elegantly swinging rendition that follows. The song has been recorded 525 times since 1942 according to Tom Lord’s online Jazz Discography, and yet, in the right hands, it always sound brand-new. Nussbaum shines here, matching wits with Fukumori, and shadowing Whipple’s tasteful solo with some lovely brushwork. Closing the generously long program is Nicholas Brodszky’s Be My Love in a graceful solo performance by Fukumori. Eternity And A Day is genuine pleasure from beginning to end, and it is warmly recommended. Summit DCD 838; Michika Fukumori (p) Steve Whipple (b) Adam Nussbaum (d); Brooklyn, NY, August 5, 2023; Another Tomorrow/ Eternity and a Day/ Acoso/ Our Future (Reiwa)/ The Light of Dawn/ Port (The Departure)/ There is Always Light/ Speak Low/ Prelude Op. 28, No. 4 - How Insensitive/ Jitterbug Waltz/ Be My Love; 70:22. www.summitrecords.com
When a well-traveled and highly praised master musician like bassist Buster Williams writes that Tommaso Perazzo & Marcello Cardillo “are two truly gifted musicians” and takes the time to record with them, it makes sense to take a listen. Pianist Perazzo and drummer Cardillo were joined in New York by Williams to make the satisfyingly swinging Portrait Of A Moment. The trio jumps right in with a Perazzo original, Back at the Right Spot!, and they surely are at the right spot. The pleasures of listening to this piano trio grow as they delve into a few more originals, a pair of Williams’ compositions (the lovely ballad Christina and Where Giants Dwell), Wayne Shorter’s frequently played Footprints, and Mulgrew Miller’s Soul Leo. The deep and soulful spirit of the ensemble comes through loud and clear on every piece. Williams writes that he “so much enjoyed making this record ... I hope you the listener enjoy it also.” Here’s one listener that’s loving every minute. Recommended. Red RR123354; Tommaso Perazzo (p) Buster Williams (b) Marcello Cardillo (d); NYC, June 14, 2023; Back at the Right Spot/ Alba Sur Mare/ Kind of Blues/ Christina/ Where Giants Dwell/ Footprints/ Soul Leo/ Ricordi/ For Wayne (bonus; digital only); 45:58. redrecords.it
The tireless pianist Satoko Fujii has a new project, the Satoko Fujii Tokyo Trio. Dream A Dream is the group’s first studio album after two live sets. As is often the case with prolific composer/instrumentalists, the line between composition and improvisation is blurred to the point of unimportance. It’s the chemistry of the collective that becomes the key to grasping the intent of the music. Bassist Takashi Sugawa and drummer Ittetsu Takemura are preternaturally attuned to Fujii’s emotional range and her dynamic approach to performance, and it makes for a deeply intriguing and adventurous set of performances. By turns quiet and moody or brash and excitable, these five pieces stretch the concept of the piano trio with surprising and gratifying results. Second Step begins with a dazzling display of piano mastery. That’s followed by a jagged bass interlude and then a hushed floating feeling is established only to lead into a triumphant-sounding and rising melody that is soon splintered and ... well, you get the idea. Fujii’s compositions for trio are journeys in sound that start in one place and go through a lot of changes before coming to an end. I’m particularly taken with drummer Takemura’s eccentric playing on the title track, inspiring bassist Sugawa into an extended rapturous solo. Fujii’s piano darts in and out of the music, eventually taking over the piece with a delicate solo that gradually increases in intensity as bass and drums hover around her. And there’s a lot more in this almost 19-minute piece. Sometimes it’s the silences embedded in the performances that are most telling, providing an element of suspense and anticipation. I’ve been listening to a lot of Paul Bley’s music lately, and Fujii’s studies with Bley still reverberate in her approach to the piano thirty-one years after they recorded a series of piano duets. Dream a Dream is heartily recommended. Libra 203-079; Satoko Fujii (p) Takashi Sugawa (b) Ittetsu Takemura (d); Paris, France, May 22, 2024; Second Step/ Dream a Dream/ Summer Day/ Rain Drop/ Aruru; 56:31. www.librarecords.com
Stargazer, recorded in 1980, was veteran pianist Armen Donelian’s debut as a leader. While it’s not typical for a first album to feature all original compositions, Donelian had the expert assistance of bassist Eddie Gómez and drummer Billy Hart in navigating the intricacies of his tunes. Originally made for Atlas Records in Japan, Sunnyside Records has now reissued the date and added Queen of Light, a previously unreleased performance. The set leads off with the title track, a tune that Donelian has revisited many times since this premiere performance. You couldn’t ask for a more sympathetic bass and drums team back then, and both Gómez (who turned 81 recently) and Hart (now 84 years young) are still making strong contributions to jazz. In addition to their abilities as astute accompanists, both Gómez and Hart are stirring soloists. Gómez was a member of the Bill Evans trio for over a decade, where he soloed frequently to great effect. The only non-original on the album is Free at Last, a lightly grooving collective improvisation which features Donelian and Gómez simultaneously soloing over Hart’s steady beat. The mellow ballad Southern Belle is distinguished by a dense and playful Gómez solo. Donelian is totally enjoyable on his Love’s Endless Spin, an upbeat samba that gallops along with Hart and Gómez providing stellar support. Hart solos with brushes to lead off Monday, which develops into a high-spirited three-way conversation. The delicately playful waltz Silent Afternoon concluded the original release. Queen of Light, the bonus track, is vaguely funky, with a strong solo by Gómez. If a jazz piano trio fan were to listen to Stargazer without knowing anything about it, she might say it was recorded last week or last year or maybe twenty or thirty years ago. Stargazer, reissued forty-five years after its initial release, is a sturdy session of piano jazz, and a reminder of the timeless pleasures of the format. Sunnyside SSC 4039; Armen Donelian (p) Eddie Gómez (b) Billy Hart (d); NYC, April 15, 1980; Stargazer/ Free At Last/ Southern Belle/ Love’s Endless Spin/ Monday/ Silent Afternoon/ Queen of Light; 47:54. sunnysiderecords.com
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