Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Tri-Fi: A Tri-Fi Christmas

Tri-Fi: A Tri-Fi Christmas

By Mark Corroto
December 10, 2011
View read count

Every Christmas there are volunteers sent to save us from the wrath of Burl Ives. They are called jazz musicians. Everyone loves a bit of schmaltzy music a few days before the holidays, but the only problem these days is that the holiday begins right after Halloween. Sixty days of grandma getting run over by a reindeer can make you suicidal.

This year's finest jazz Christmas offering might just be by pianist

Matthew Fries

piano
b.1968

" data-original-title="" title="">Matthew Fries, bassist

Phil Palombi

bass
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Phil Palombi and drummer Keith Hall. Known as Tri-Fi, this piano trio has released three previous titles, the last being aptly named 3 (Tri-Fi, 2010). It's a sort of modern-day blue-collar band that has absorbed the history of the piano trio from

Horace Silver

piano
1928 - 2014

" data-original-title="" title="">Horace Silver and

Ahmad Jamal

piano
1930 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Ahmad Jamal to

Jacky Terrasson

piano
b.1966

" data-original-title="" title="">Jacky Terrasson and

Aaron Goldberg

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Aaron Goldberg.

When not performing acoustically, Tri-Fi backs vocalist

Curtis Stigers

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Curtis Stigers. That certainly explains the ease in which the group interprets sing-a-long tunes like the fast-paced and swinging "Frosty The Snowman" and "Let It Snow," where the trio reinvents Sammy Cahn's lyric, playing it against the melody of

Quincy Jones

arranger
1933 - 2024

" data-original-title="" title="">Quincy Jones' "Killer Joe." It is enough to make mommy giddy after kissin' Santa Claus.

The band turns toward New Orleans on "Joy To The World," with Hall delivering a natty drum shuffle. Fries is free to preach the piano gospel here, and also on "Go Tell It On The Mountain," which ends with some hand claps and tambourine inspiration. The trio evokes memories of pianist

Vince Guaraldi

piano
1928 - 1976

" data-original-title="" title="">Vince Guaraldi with "In The Bleak Of Winter." Like Guaraldi's Christmas music, the trio delivers a sparse, and tender offering. The highlight of the disc might be "We Three Kings," performed as if imagined by pianist

McCoy Tyner

piano
1938 - 2020

" data-original-title="" title="">McCoy Tyner. The band draws from the sound of saxophonist

John Coltrane

saxophone
1926 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">John Coltrane's A Love Supreme (Impulse!, 1965), lifting the bandstand with the ferocity of Fries' playing and Hall's energetic return.

Reinterpretation is certainly one reason to turn to jazz musicians for their vision. But when a bassist like Palombi picks up his bow to deliver a straightforward and sincere version of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," there is little to do but get into the true spirit of the holidays.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Frosty The Snowman; O Holy Night; Carol Of The Bells; Joy To The World; Let It Snow; We Three Kings; In The Bleak Midwinter; God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen; what Child Is This?; I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day; Go Tell It On The Mountain; Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.

Personnel

Tri-Fi

band / ensemble / orchestra

Matthew Fries: piano; Phil Palombi: bass; Keith Hall: drums.

Album information

Title: A Tri-Fi Christmas | Year Released: 2011 | Record Label: Self Produced

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Jazz Arrangers: A Celebration at Diz...
< Previous

Peter Murphy: New York, NY, November...
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.