Randy Ingram: Aries Dance

  On the wholly enjoyable Aries Dance, pianist Randy Ingram and his trio with Drew Gress on bass and Billy Hart on drums straddle the line between the early paradigm of piano with accompaniment and the more modern approach of engaged interaction among the players as pioneered by Bill Evans and his trios. The program consists of six originals, a pair of well-chosen standards, and Wayne Shorter’s Penelope. Ingram notes that he “wanted to make [his] compositions as streamlined as possible, to give Billy and Drew room to interpret.” It’s clear from the start of his Toward Polaris, an elegant and mellow waltz, that the musicians are highly attuned to the nuances of one another’s playing. The impeccable Drew Gress has recorded a couple of sessions previously with Ingram, in duo and trio formats. The propulsive and sensitive Billy Hart happened to catch Ingram in performance in New York and was attracted to his style. The pianist’s graceful and subtly swinging approach to the piano and the quality of his tunes give the whole date a genuinely warm and relaxed feeling. It no doubt helped the project that they played a club gig before recording, and had the services of esteemed recording engineer James Farber in the studio. Aries Dance is a delightful listening experience. Recommended. 

Sounderscore SO 008; Randy Ingram (p) Drew Gress (b) Billy Hart (d); NYC, May 3, 2024; Toward Polaris/ Para Milton e Pedro/ Into the Night/ You and the Night and the Music/ Penelope/ Aries Dance/ Castle and Fog/ Guimarães/ Dedicated to You; 46:44. www.sounderscore.com

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

Alvin Schwaar/Bänz Oester/Noé Franklé: Travellin’ Light

The world of improvised music is full of surprises. Travellin’ Light, a sumptuous release by the trio of Alvin Schwaar, Bänz Oester, & Noé Franklé, is a welcome and unusual excursion by European improvisers into the realm of jazz compositions and well-known standards. The senior member of the band is bassist Oester, active since the Eighties, who has worked extensively with pianist Michael Wintsch and drummer Gerry Hemingway in the WHO Trio. Pianist Schwaar and drummer Franklé are making their recording debuts. There is a charming aspect to the trio’s interactions, as their mutual delight in the music becomes the dominant feeling. The most obscure of these selections is Duke Ellington’s Heaven, from the first Sacred Concert. The band caresses the melody, and their restraint at a very slow pace is impressive. Then they turn right around for a raucous dissection of All the Things You Are, sneaking up on the famous melody just when I was thinking that they’d never get to it. The trio gets a little lost when playing My Ideal, a song from 1930 by Leo Robin, Richard Whiting and Newell Chase. Their sparse arrangement doesn’t give them much to work with, and it is a bit mystifying that the track clocks in at just over ten minutes. They’re back on track with a dynamically vigorous version of Bill Evans’ Very Early, a mainstay of the pianist’s repertoire from 1962 to his final appearance in New York in June 1980. John Coltrane’s Big Nick, a jazz tune also premiered in 1962, receives an appropriately gritty and interactive performance. Another Ellington composition ends the set, the timelessly beautiful Prelude to a Kiss. No experimentation here, and none needed: it’s a gently melodic and faithful rendition that’s utterly pleasing. Hemingway graciously pens a brief liner essay, where he discusses some of the strategies the trio offers. He concludes by noting that “musicality is a sense that grows and matures over time. It is present in these three musician’s intentions and continually evolving in our ears as we together enjoy the space that music can create for us simply to be.” Travellin’ Light is happily recommended.
Leo CD LR 875; Alvin Schwaar (p) Bänz Oester (b) Noé Franklé (d); Basel, Switzerland, August 19, 2019; Someone to Watch Over Me/ I Have a Dream/ Heaven/ All the Things You Are/ My Ideal/ Very Early/ Big Nick/ Prelude to a Kiss; 64:31. www.leorecordsmusic.com