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Mario Pavone: Blue Dialect

By Mark Corroto
July 24, 2015
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Gone are the days where a jazz trio maintains a three month residency, playing nightly in a club. Nor are there world traveling units that refine their skills nightly on the road, working and reworking material. There will be no more piano trios led by the likes of

Thelonious Monk

piano
1917 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Thelonious Monk and

Bill Evans

piano
1929 - 1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Bill Evans. But have no fear, there are combinations, encounters, and partnerships that come together with just the players to make special music.

Bassist

Mario Pavone

bass
1940 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">Mario Pavone's new Trio Dialect with pianist

Matt Mitchell

piano
b.1975

" data-original-title="" title="">Matt Mitchell and drummer

Tyshawn Sorey

drums
b.1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Tyshawn Sorey is one of those magical meetings. Pavone, a bassist extraordinaire, has kept time for players like

Thomas Chapin

saxophone
1957 - 1998

" data-original-title="" title="">Thomas Chapin,

Anthony Braxton

woodwinds
b.1945

" data-original-title="" title="">Anthony Braxton,

Paul Bley

piano
1932 - 2016

" data-original-title="" title="">Paul Bley,

Bill Dixon

trumpet
1925 - 2010

" data-original-title="" title="">Bill Dixon,

Michael Musillami

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Michael Musillami, and

Wadada Leo Smith

trumpet
b.1941

" data-original-title="" title="">Wadada Leo Smith, to name just a few. He has led groups, including his Orange Double Tenor, Arc Quartet, previous trios, the Arc Trio with

Craig Taborn

piano
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Craig Taborn and

Gerald Cleaver

drums
b.1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Gerald Cleaver, and a collaboration with

Peter Madsen

piano
b.1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Peter Madsen and

Matt Wilson

drums
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Matt Wilson.

Like his other bands, Pavone writes music that passes around the leadership duties. Heard here, in a blindfold test, one might identify this as a piano or drummer-led trio. The construction here is of an equal sided triangle. Pavone culls music from previous discs, like two tracks "Xapo" and "Zines" from his Septet record Deez to Blues (Playscape, 2006). His partners seem up for anything. "Language" gallops from the start line, Sorey's solo takes off on the repetitive theme before Pavone's solo deconstructs the piece, and finally Mitchell enters to pick through the corpse. His piano, quite the original sound, can be heard with

Tim Berne

saxophone, alto
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Tim Berne's Snakeoil,

Rudresh Mahanthappa

saxophone, alto
b.1971

" data-original-title="" title="">Rudresh Mahanthappa, and

Dave Douglas

trumpet
b.1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Douglas's bands.

Where this trio shines is in the devilish groove they conjure. Pavone's "Reflections" isn't a cover of the same tune by

Thelonious Monk

piano
1917 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Thelonious Monk, but it does share the high priest's penchant for angles and off-kilter time. "Two One" threatens a 4/4 swing only to play off a deceptive counter. Sorey's drums which can be heard with

Myra Melford

piano
b.1957

" data-original-title="" title="">Myra Melford,

Kris Davis

piano
b.1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Kris Davis,

Roscoe Mitchell

saxophone
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Roscoe Mitchell,

John Escreet

piano
b.1984

" data-original-title="" title="">John Escreet, and

Steve Lehman

saxophone, alto

" data-original-title="" title="">Steve Lehman always seem to recreate the drums' role from time keeping to melody making and, here, musical commentator.

Pavone's strength seems to be his knack for assembling sympathetic groups that just seem to blend together to create challenging and engaging music. It is scary to think what this band would sound like if they played together every night.

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Track Listing

Suitcase in Savannah; Xapo; Reflections; Two One; Zines; Silver Print; Language; Trio Dialect; Blue.

Personnel

Mario Pavone

bass

Mario Pavone: double bass; Matt Mitchell: piano; Tyshawn Sorey: drums.

Album information

Title: Blue Dialect | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: Clean Feed Records

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