Bob Gluck Trio's "Sideways" with Michael Bisio

Bob Gluck and his trio release Sideways (FMR 251-0108) stands out. A free-improv jazz piano trio recording is certainly not an unusual thing in itself. What Bob Gluck (piano & electronics), Michael Bisio (bass) and Dean Sharp (drums) do however is in no way common. Most of the pieces are Bob Gluck originals, with one by Michael Bisio, an Ornette Coleman classic, and two by the late Joe Zawinul.

Electronics color the music in ways that are subtle and organic. Mostly they are applied to the sound of the piano or piano and bass, and give added texture to the musical utterances. There is a heightened three-way dialog between the group members, but Gluck and Bisio are especially notable in their interactions. The music can be introspective, as in the haunting phrase that Mr. Gluck plays on the piano repeatedly on the title cut, with the other trio members adding to the mood. There are the sorts of loosely phrased cantabile passages where the three collaborate to extend the phases initiated by the pianist. There are the more hard-charging moments, moments for Bisio's improv prowess and a good deal of interesting and unusual utterances from Bob Gluck. He strikes me as an original voice in this music.

The overall feeling is one of freshness. The trio is not afraid to stray into new music zones. I wouldn't use the phrase "third stream" here, since that is not precisely what is happening (and the phrase has earlier stylistic connotations nowadays) but there is an expressiveness that evokes pan-stylistic sensibilities. Most importantly, the music comes together consistently.

Listen to "Lonely Woman" to get a quick feel for what they are about. Bisio's droning bass evokes the Coleman melody at the start and Gluck follows through with thematic statements of a high order.

The trio comes off as purposeful, directed, expressive and musically advanced. An excellent outing, well worth your time and money.

Classic Paul Bley Piano and Ensemble Reissued

Originally posted on December 12, 2008

As time passes the stature of pianist Paul Bley increases to ever higher levels. In my capacity as jazz reviewer for Cadence magazine, blog writer and as active listener I have checked out hundreds of CDs by pianists in the last several years. Although Paul’s influence has sometimes been filtered by Keith Jarrett’s adaptation of some of his stylistic traits, Bley is way up there near the top as a pianist with a continuing presence and as a touchstone for the new generation of players. His classic period style combines deep roots in modern jazz with harmonically shifting approaches, a free-floating time sense and sometimes brooding, sometimes explosive constructions of improvisatory lines.

He made two seminal recordings for ESP, one we covered in a previous entry. The just reissued Barrage, his first recording for the label in 1964, has a larger group in play and it’s an all-star cast of free players from the era. Sun Ra mainstay Marshall Allen plays an acid-tongued alto, Dewey Johnson, who was to make an important contribution to Coltrane’s Ascension, provides fiery blasts on the trumpet, and a world-class group of then-young giants Eddie Gomez and Milford Graves man the bass and drum chairs, respectively.

This is a group effort, with all contributing key moments in the maelstrom of improvisation. Paul’s then-wife Carla Bley is responsible for the pieces and they are classic. Although the album may not have had quite the impact of its trio counterpart Closer, it is an astonishingly lively performance that improves with age. This is music in and out of time. And this is music for all times. Timing out until Monday. . .

Pianist Adam Birnbaum: Substance and Swing

Originally posted on October 28, 2008

The mainstream represents a good portion of all jazz recordings released over the world in any given year. Of course not all of them are worthy of one’s attention. Some are watered down into a “smooth jazz” blend, some just do not represent talent worthy of notice.

Pianist Adam Birnbaum’s Travels (Smalls) has neither fault. It’s a trio date augmented on some cuts by alto-soprano sax newcomer Sharel Cassity. The disk has plenty of bite to back up the growl. Birnbaum can be energetic or gentle, and plays with a driving panache that his group reinforces. There’s a good program of originals and some unexpected twists, like an adaptation of a Robert Schumann song. The pleasurable listening quality of the set is not made possible by a loss of integrity. This is jazz with honesty and a dedication to substance and swing.

Pandelis Karayorgis and his Trio

Originally posted on April 3, 2009

The music scene in Boston has been a singular one for many years. The great number of college situated there, the presence of Berklee College of Music, Boston Conservatory and the New England Conservatory of Music means that there is a large pool of teachers and students of high caliber gigging in town, and the general heightened cultural climate traditional in Boston creates favorable conditions for music making (at least for the listener, if not the musicians themselves).

One such musician on the scene is pianist Pandelis Karayorgis—and the trio of which he is a member, the mi3. This is a group formed out of a relatively long-standing tenure as the house band at a local club. Because that venue had/has no piano installed, Pandelis resorted to a Fender Rhodes electric as his instrument for the duration. Using that instrument with various effects and forming a solid musical bond with fellow bandmates Nate McBride on bass and Curt Newton on drums have generated a musical entity that extends the scope and depth of the trio date while forging a distinctive bond between sound and sense.

Their first album (I think), We Will Make A Home for You (Cleanfeed) consists of loose yet very together musical workouts on pieces by Monk as well as a few Karayorgis originals, an Eric Dolphy number and one by the pianist Hasaan, who recorded an album with Max Roach many years ago.

This is a very strong set with some of the electricity and punch of Rock but thoroughly enveloped in the post-Monkish trio approach that Pandelis and his colleagues pull off so effectively. It’s the kind of music that occurs when three very strong players gig regularly and have a chance to work out a sympathetic musical relationship of give and take. It is loose yet fully vetted by an intense inter-familiarity of what the musicians come to expect from each another. It is one of those disks that you might file away for a bit but find yourself coming back to regularly. The group recorded another session with Karayorgis on acoustic piano which is excellent as well. Search for mi3 on the net and you’ll get a complete picture of what’s out there. Check this one, though, if you want an intelligent take on how electronics and modern improvisation can form a potent blend that transcends category. It’s very good.