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Arild Andersen/Paolo Vinaccia/Tommy Smith: In-House Science

By Karl Ackermann
March 9, 2018
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Arild Andersen/Paolo Vinaccia/Tommy Smith: In-House Science

Arild Andersen's superb trio with tenor saxophonist Tommy Smith and drummer Paolo Vinaccia had previously released two ECM albums, Live at Belleville (2008), and Mira (2014). Smith and Andersen joined the saxophonist's frequent collaborators, the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra for Celebration (2015) which included "Independency, Pt. 4" from Belleville. In-House Science is the second live album from the trio.

Andersen's long career began in the late 1960s jumping right to well established artists such as

George Russell

composer / conductor
1923 - 2009

" data-original-title="" title="">George Russell,

Don Cherry

trumpet
1936 - 1995

" data-original-title="" title="">Don Cherry,

Phil Woods

saxophone, alto
1931 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">Phil Woods,

Dexter Gordon

saxophone, tenor
1923 - 1990

" data-original-title="" title="">Dexter Gordon and

Tomasz Sta��ko

trumpet
1942 - 2018

" data-original-title="" title="">Tomasz Sta��ko. With more than twenty leader dates—the majority with ECM—he has also been a sideman on some pivotal releases with

Terje Rypdal

guitar
b.1947

" data-original-title="" title="">Terje Rypdal,

Bobo Stenson

piano
b.1944

" data-original-title="" title="">Bobo Stenson,

Jan Garbarek

saxophone
b.1947

" data-original-title="" title="">Jan Garbarek and

Bill Frisell

guitar, electric
b.1951

" data-original-title="" title="">Bill Frisell. Smith is something of a prodigy having worked with

Gary Burton

vibraphone
b.1943

" data-original-title="" title="">Gary Burton,

Steve Swallow

bass
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Steve Swallow and

Adam Nussbaum

drums
b.1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Adam Nussbaum while still a teenager. He went on to a Blue Note contract playing with

Tommy Flanagan

piano
1930 - 2001

" data-original-title="" title="">Tommy Flanagan and

Chick Corea

piano
1941 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">Chick Corea and earning a well-deserved reputation as one of the best tenor players in the UK. Italian born percussionist/composer Paolo Vinaccia has resided in Norway for almost forty years. He has recorded on more than one-hundred albums working with Rypdal,

Palle Mikkelborg

trumpet
b.1941

" data-original-title="" title="">Palle Mikkelborg,

Mike Mainieri

vibraphone
b.1938

" data-original-title="" title="">Mike Mainieri and

Jon Christensen

drums
1943 - 2020

" data-original-title="" title="">Jon Christensen to name just a few.

The music on In-House Science reverts to the amalgam of buoyant and shadowy moods that defined this trio's debut. The opener is a version of Mira's title track, extended over the original length and a bit darker, bar a fiery mid-song burst from Smith. The longest, most freely played piece, "Science" features exhilarating, fast-paced solos and an extended duet between Andersen and Vinaccia. "North of the Northwind" is an atmospheric composition; the moody bowed bass and saxophone melding, breaking off and patiently building in intensity. "Blussy" is another Mira selection, again stretched out from the original. "Inhouse" closes the set; another opportunity for extended solos but especially spotlighting the musicality of Vinaccia.

Over his fifty year recording career, Andersen has shown his ability to excel across a wide range of styles, from the raw edginess of Jan Garbarek's Esoteric Circle (Flying Ducthman, 1969) to the spare, avant-garde Ancient Land, New Territory (Shipwrecords, 2015) with percussionist Jonas Howden Sj?vaag, and

Carsten Dahl

piano
b.1967

" data-original-title="" title="">Carsten Dahl's eclectic piano trio on Under the Rainbow (Storyville, 2013). Throughout the dissimilar array of music, Andersen's beefy, distinct bass can be a deep, woody anchor or an airborne provocateur. The difficult sax trio formation benefits greatly from Smith's own versatility. He moves from long, fluid lines to pointed, prickling sketches, making the saxophone speak in tongues and keeping the dialog with Andersen moving forward. In-House Science is the best of this trio to date.

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Track Listing

Mira; Science; Venice; North of The Northwind; Blussy; Inhouse.

Personnel

Arild Andersen

bass, acoustic

Arild Andersen: double-bass; Paolo Vinaccia: drums; Tommy Smith: tenor saxophone.

Album information

Title: In-House Science | Year Released: 2018 | Record Label: ECM Records

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