A Trio of Piano Trios

From a large pile of recent releases I have three outstanding piano trios to suggest to readers, two by lesser known leaders and one by a long-time leader. What ties them together besides the format is the wonderful quality of the music, the lyricism, and the fact that all three groups are from outsie the U.S.

First up is "Sound of My Colors" (Prophone 2012) from Sweden, a trio featuring leader Thomas Fonnesbaek on bass with Lars Jansson on piano and Paul Svanberg on drums. This may sound like a familiar grouping and indeed it is --- Lars Jansson has recorded several outstanding works with the same trio which has been noted here previously. What makes this outing different is Fonnesbaek as leader and composer of 9 of the 12 peices, mixing in one by Jansson and two standards, "Autumn Leaves" and "Summertime". The other difference is the tempo of the songs; unlike the Jansson lead CDs, these tunes are more driven by the beat and framed more by their melodies, rather than the atmospheric tone poetry that one might expect. And the two standards are play luxuriously within that context. All three players get their chances at soloing and demonstrating their firstrate abilities. A great recording that keeps one's interest from start to finish.

Speaking of a luxurious sound and maintaining interest throughout, there is no better piano trio than that of Enrico Pieranunzi, Marc Johnson, and the late Paul Motian. The most recent and presumably last recording by the group is "Live at the Village Vanguard" (CamJazz 2013), recorded during their stay there in July 2010. Pieranunzi is my favorite pianist, playing with such emotional attachment with each piece and with an ear towards his two sympathetic partners on this disc. He plays both within the melody and outside it with some of the most beautiful and creative improvisations around, with a grand imagination that spins beautful stories for the ear.  Johnson and Motian are ideal for his imagination; one only has to listen to Johnson's pairing with Eliane Elias on ECM last year to appreciate his talents and lyricism, and Motian was of course the ultimate conversationalist and colorist on percussion. This is a masterwork of style, beauty and imagination, whether the tunes are originals by Pieranunzi or classics like "My Funny Valentine", "I Mean You" or "La Dolce Vita." Simply gorgeous and not to be missed.

Returning back over the Atlantic from Sweden and Italy, Canadian Jeff Johnston has a trio recording out called "returning" (Jeff Johnston Music 2013) with Jim Vivian on bass and Michael Billard on drums. Don't know much about the group except that they have been together for quite sometime and were Juno Award winners in 2002, but I do know that they are making some lovely, tuneful music together, with seven compositions by Johnston and the standard "As Time Goes By." Each tune is a small gem that at about eight or nine minutes allows the tunes to develop, the improvisations time to breathe, and the teamwork of the players to provide us with a lush and timeless feel. From first to last, the music is endearing and recommended.

Catching Up: New and Recommended Music

I am never going to catch up with everything that I have purchased in the past couple of months unless I create a short post listing a few of them with brief comments. Sorry for copping out, but I hope this is useful.

Alfredo Rodriquez, "Sounds of Space" (Mack Avenue 2012) Lively, latin, and lovely debut.

Clayton Brothers and Friends, "The Gathering" (Artist Share 2012) Clayton, Clayton and Clayton, with Terrell Stafford, Wycliffe Gordon, and Stefon Harris. That alone should tell you everything you need to know. Great straight ahead stuff.

Mike Longo, "A Celebration of Diz and Miles" (MLM Music/CDBaby 2012) A master drummer and his trio play it straight. Right down the middle -- a bullseye! 

Lars Jansson Trio, "Koan" (Prophone 2012) Go back and read what I wrote on April 1 about this group. This is just as wonderful.

John Zorn, "The Concealed" (Tzadik 2012) Another fascinating CD for those who like variety. This time it is John Medeski, Mark Feldman, Trevor Dunn, Joey Baron, Kenny Wollesen and Erik Friedlander -- the Dreamers and the Bar Kohkba groups together producing accoustic magic.

Walter Norris and Leslek Mozdzer, "The Last Set" (ACT 2012)  Unfortunately, Walter Norris passed away since this was recorded in 2011, but this is a fine piece to leave behind. Two master pianists playing a live set.

Matt Herskovitz, "Upstairs" (Justin Time 2012)  A solo outing by a young and promising pianist. Nicely done combination of standards, originals, and classical music set to jazz. "I've Got Rhythm" closes the set masterfully. Watch for it in January.

Monty Alexander, "Uplift 2: Higher" (JLP 2012)  Straight and catchy trio music by a long-time master. Some chestnuts recreated for jazz --- "Battle Hymn", "When the Saints Go Marching In", "You Are My Sunshine" -- will surprise, and "St. Thomas" and others will bring a smile and tapping foot. For  those liking the straight and narrow.

More soon I hope. Organizing the CDs for a 2012 review.

The Pure and Beautiful Sound of the Lars Jansson Trio

Lars Jansson is a Swedish piano player with whom we should all be more acquainted. His long line of discs go back over two decades and feature a number of artists and combinations, but he is best known for his piano trio music of the past decade. On "In Search of Lost Time" (Prophone 2011) he has written 14 very beautiful and accessible originals featuring his piano and Christian Sperling on bass and Anders Kjellberg on drums.

Born in 1951, in his early teens he was captivated by the music of  Miles Davis, Ben Webster, and Mose Allison on discs given to him by a relative. He started dental school around 1970, but quickly switched to music and enrolled at the Göteborg College of Music, where he had an opportunity to join jam sessions with local jazz players, and to experience the works of some seminal pianists of the period including Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Paul Bley, Bill Evans, Lennie Tristano, Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea. After school he played with the Arild Andersen Quartet and various Norwegian musicians including Knut Riisnaes and Jan Garbarek, and then with Equinox, Red Mitchell,  and many other groups, both Swedish and Danish. The Lars Jansson Trio is, and has long been, one of the longest standing and appreciated jazz groups in Sweden.  

 

The title of the disc is a translation of Proust's masterpiece "A la Recherche du Temps Perdu" and parallels its theme of experiencing time from different perspectives and of looking back into your life. The tunes on this disc represent 25 years of music compositions by Jonsson, but all have a similar beauty in the purity of the melodic lines and meditative quality of the compositions and quietude of the interplay among the three musicians. While it is not a recording that includes any standards or familiar songs, it is so accessible and purely beautiful that it should appeal to those looking for the former as well as to those looking for a creative approach to the trio using fresh sounds and melodies.

This is just an outstanding disc that washes over you with its tranquility and beauty, and cannot help but brighten anyone's day.