Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Stephan Crump's Rosetta Trio: Thwirl

Stephan Crump's Rosetta Trio: Thwirl

By Dave Wayne
May 28, 2014
View read count

Some groups just have chemistry, no matter what their instrumentation or musical background. Something about them just works.

Stephan Crump

bass, acoustic
b.1972

" data-original-title="" title="">Stephan Crump's Rosetta Trio is one such group. Comprised of two guitarists-one electric and one acoustic-plus Crump's own resonant acoustic bass, the Rosetta Trio straddles the worlds of jazz, avant garde, and modern folk music with consummate ease and some seriously deep virtuosity. Crump is an admirably diverse musician who maintains working relationships with folk singer

Jen Chapin

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Jen Chapin (whom he's married to), saxophonist

Steve Lehman

saxophone, alto

" data-original-title="" title="">Steve Lehman, guitarists

Mary Halvorson

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Mary Halvorson and

Rez Abbasi

guitar, acoustic
b.1965

" data-original-title="" title="">Rez Abbasi, and pianist

Vijay Iyer

piano
b.1971

" data-original-title="" title="">Vijay Iyer (none of whom he's married to), to name just a few. Guitarists

Jamie Fox

guitar
b.1953

" data-original-title="" title="">Jamie Fox and

Liberty Ellman

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Liberty Ellman are equal musical partners despite Crump's top billing.

Crump first convened the Rosetta Trio in 2005, as a meditation on the effects of 9/11. Their first album, Rosetta (Papillon Sounds, 2006) was a revelation, and one of that year's most striking. Freely mixing and matching jazz, avant-garde, chamber music and folk influences, the trio produced a document of hushed beauty that transcended preconceived genre boundaries. The follow-up, Reclamation (Sunnyside, 2010) came a few years later, and it seemed that Crump was taking the trio in a decidedly more bucolic, countrified direction. As strong as Reclamation was, it was a bit of a letdown. Though the trio revisits the style, tinged with Gypsy jazz flair on "Reclamation Zone," and at length on "Still Stolid," it's just one of many musical facets on Thwirl. The strength of Rosetta Trio's music lies in its quirkiness and steadfast refusal to identify with any one style or school. Thwirl is a welcome return to the formula-free sound of their debut.

The music, though understated, has a distinct forward-leaning rhythmic flow. You never miss the drummer. The trio addresses the matter quite literally on the title track, which weaves popping harmonics and percussive tappings into its melody. After a lush solo bass intro, "Ending" coalesces around the contrapuntal interplay of all three instruments, generating a rhythmic vortex of sorts as each player completes the others' phrases, gathering intensity as the piece progresses. "Whiteout" unfolds gradually out of a relatively simple 5/4 ostinato pattern, with Crump's

Eberhard Weber

bass
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Eberhard Weber-like arco bass in the lead role. On "Flotsam," and "Palimpsestic," the trio demonstrates an uncommon knack for developing intriguing melodic and harmonic ideas out of abstract improvisational interactions. The more conventional tunes on Thwirl are no less engaging. "Conversate (Talking Wise)" has a wistful, jazzy flow that recalls some of

Ralph Towner

guitar
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Ralph Towner's work, as does "He Runs Circles," a pretty waltz that has Fox and Ellman swapping phrases over Crump's gently prodding bass.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Ending; Reclamation Zone; He Runs Circles; Whiteout; Thwirl; Still Stolid; Conversate (talking-wise); Flotsam; Palimpsestic; Steel, Skin and Sky.

Personnel

Stephan Crump

bass, acoustic

Liberty Ellman: acoustic guitar; Jamie Fox: electric guitar; Stephan Crump: bass.

Album information

Title: Thwirl | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: Sunnyside Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Sikorsky
< Previous

Matador
Next >

Stephan Crump Concerts

Sep 24 Wed

Stephan Crump's Passerine

Barbes
Brooklyn, NY

Oct 9 Thu

Stephan Crump - Solo

P'tit Ours
Montreal, Canada

Oct 17 Fri

Stephan Crump's Otherlands Trio

The Jazz Gallery
New York, NY

Oct 17 Fri

Stephan Crump's Otherlands Trio

The Jazz Gallery
New York, NY

Nov 12 Wed

Stephan Crump With Sam Newsome & Dan Weiss

Close Up
New York, NY

Nov 14 Fri

Otherlands Trio

Firehouse 12
New Haven, CT

Jan 31 Sat

Stephan Crump - Passerine

Bar Bayeux
Brooklyn, NY

Apr 21 Tue

Stephan Crump - Slow Water

Krannert Center For The Performing Arts
Urbana, IL

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.