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3x3: Piano Trios: July 2019
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Onwards and Upwards
ACT Music
2019
The name means "three," simply enough, and

Shalosh
band / ensemble / orchestraThe two non-originals (covering golden-age Broadway and 80s pop, of all things) makes the most obvious examples as the trio unwinds the form, allowing themselves to drift and almost lose sight of the shore because they know they won't lose sight of each other. The same is just as true of their own pieces, however, which are both smartly written and arranged with plenty of space to wander.
Onwards and Upwards opens with a roiling jolt, winds down with a beautiful meditation and never stops that fun game of let's-see-where-we-can-take-this in between. A tribute to

Ahmad Jamal
piano1930 - 2023

Sanctuary
Losen Records
2019

Matt Slocum
drumsb.1981
Sanctuary gently bounces and sometimes even swaggers enough that there's no risk of the three getting lazy, even at the pace of a leisurely stroll. Gerald Clayton handles the heads/melodies naturally enough, sometimes ambling in step with

Larry Grenadier
bass, acousticb.1966

Reflection
Losen Records
2019
Like a reflective pond, this trio tends toward the thoughtful and turns out not to be nearly as simple underneath as it seems. When they chug and churn, it's still with an airy feel that makes the coasting sound effortless. The pieces are built as evocative poems more than songs, evoking their themes with just structure as much as the actual notes. Eschewing spotlight solos, they'd rather build dynamics by using loud and quiet (see the subtly dramatic "Aura"), or leaving space (as in "Nocturne" or the quaint pastoral "Old Town").
There are times when the trio coasts in a pleasant 5/4 or 7/4. The titular centerpiece on the other hand jiggers a pattern of four so that it sounds like something odd instead, also finding time for a chamber-ish build and crescendo before floating breezily down to earth. Two smart-sounding "Prelude" pieces keep it to simple, wistful unadorned melodies instead. Reflection is certainly as thoughtful as it looks, and generally with a streak of sunshine and playfulness. It's a beautiful one in any mode.
Tracks and Personnel
Onwards and Upwards
Tracks: After the War; Children of the '90s; Meditation; You'll Never Walk Alone; The Impossible Love Story of Jackie and Hanan; Sinan and His Never Ending War Against the Bureaucracy Robots; Take on Me; Tune for Mr. Ahmad Jamal; Lullabye; Onwards and Upwards.
Personnel: Gadi Stern: piano, Rhodes & micro Korg; David Michaeli: double bass; Matan Assayag: drums.
Sanctuary
Tracks: Romulus; Consolation Prize; Aspen Island; Star Prairie; A Dissolving Alliance; Days of Peace; Sanctury; Anselmo.
Personnel: Gerald Clayton: piano; Larry Grenadier: bass; Matt Slocum: drums.
Reflection
Tracks: Transformability; Nocturne; Prelude #4; Reflection; Old Town; Aura; Prelude #3.
Personnel: Dmitry Ilugdin: piano; Victor Shestak: double bass; Petr Ivshin: drums.
Tags
Multiple Reviews
Geno Thackara
ACT Music
Shalosh
Ahmad Jamal
Losen Records
Matt Slocum
Larry Grenadier
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