Grzegorz Tarwid Trio

Paul Giallorenzo Trio
Play
Delmark Records 5038

Enemy
The Betrayal
We Jazz CD wjed52

Stefan Schönegg
Enso – A Simplified Space
Impakt Records 034

One of the most traditional of Jazz group configurations, the piano trio can be global and/or multi-faceted, depending on the concepts and applications of the keyboardist, bassist and drummer. Involving American, German, Swedish, UK, Polish and Belgian players, most of these sessions hover around mainstream affiliations, with only one in particular using similar instrumentation to probe unique sounds.

Unsurprising the most American of these discs was made in Chicago, by seasoned musicians who manage to cram Blues, stride, groove and march references into Play’s 10 selections. Pianist Paul Giallorenzo has worked with everyone from Jason Stein to Ingebrigt Haker Flaten; bassist Joshua Abrams leads the Natural Information Society, which often features drummer Mikel Patrick Avery.

Occasionally working locally as a trio, the group has played together for years and create this  seemingly effortless program that coalesces bouncy, percussive and dexterous themes. Giallorenzo affiliate his expression from foot tapping bounces through varied tempos and scales (as on “Synchronie”), then moves to sleek, languid waves of alternating singular and cascading tones on tracks like “Smooth Sails”. Overcoming a tendency to become too facile in his accomplished playing with compositions that move from breezy West Coast swing to near- pop-Jazz, his innate links to Monkish-asides, and gospel-like pressure save the narratives with before they become too cute.

While typically remain in the background, Avery’s shattering cymbal asides and deep drum rumbles preserve seriousness as well as swing. Meanwhile Abrams’ paced arco slides match the pianist’s circular fantasia on “Decomposition”; or his spirited pizzicato rappelling on “Saturday the 14^th”, aides this Monk contrafact in evolving as a ballad with bounce.

Another trio which has mastered the art of balancing the ruminative with the refractive and a lyrical bent is the Polish aggregation on Flowers. Pianist Grzegorz Tarwid who like the  others has recorded with Mateusz Pospieszalski’s octet, also has works in a duo with drummer Albert Karch, who also plays with Tomasz Dąbrowski. The bassist has also worked with Adam Pierończyk.

During six slick, squirmy and sometimes serious Tarwid compositions, the three tackle rhythm tunes and slower elaborations with the same skill. Tellingly, slight ecclesiastical variations creep into the latter along with the expected stomps and swing. That occurs on the concluding “Sleep”, which despite the title manages to stud a stately but relaxed exposition with bass string pops, drum clangs and curlicue piano clicks.

Overall, the faster numbers are buoyant with the penultimate “Kirchen Madchen” resembling a bolero with crisp drumming and piano variations which include emphasized key clanks and clips and an undercurrent of Polish-style montuno rhythms. More expected, the trio also excels in playing more slowly without sinking into ennui. This interplay usually involves triple layering of shaking but romantic keyboard glissandi, with variations fading in and out of the narrative as weighed drum plops and bass string thumps preserve the thoughtful but bright themes.

There are a variety of themes composed by two members of the Enemy trio on The Betrayal. But while the cohesive trio shows its skill in three-part interpretations and solo flips some of the dozen tracks appear unfinished, There are ones that seem far too short, others which fade and a couple that sound cut off.

An on-and-off working trio, the experienced player are pianist Kit Downes, who has played with everyone from John Edwards to Squarepusher; and drummer James Maddren, who has recorded with Moss Freed; both of whom are from the UK, and Swedish bassist Petter Eldh, who has recorded with Kaja Draksler

The most attractive pieces are mostly those which are given more space and allow the band’s familiarity with responsive swing and/or shaded theme exploration to come forward. An instance of the former is the penultimate “Croydon Shuffle” that incorporates interludes of high-pitched keyboard clips  and tick-tock drumming into an exposition based around reflective double bass patterns. An example of the latter is “Morfar Sixten”. It begins as a multi-colored, leisurely piano exercise with hints of undefined oscillations only to suddenly turn left in the final sequence to become all-out swing elaborations.

Downes’ pianism encompasses two-handed variations and cohesive linear direction. Eldh’s bass line can be metallically jagged as well as floating along with connective thumps; and Maddren’s pulsation can offer slender patterns as well as emphasized and tough claps and clatter. Yet despite some impressive crescendos and pressurized narratives, more consistent extended playing would have been welcome.

One disc which doesn’t lack for extended sound descriptions is Enso – A Simplified Space. The outlier of this group, the nearly hour-long eponymously titled single track unites crisp and terse single instrument expressions into a flowing exhibition of group think, with silent interludes included. An instant composition, the piece itself is a variant on bassist Stefan Schönegg’s Enso project which he has previously explored in quintet form. Schönegg who has recorded with Simon Nabatov is joined on this outing with long-time associates, extended snare drum player Etienne Nillesen, who also works with Matthias Muche, and Belgian pianist Marlies Debacker, who also specializes in contemporary notated music.

Expressed with pithy keyboard clanks and internal string reverberations, drum rubs and bass thumps a hovering vacuum cleaner-like drone is also worked into the improvisation. Harsh metal abrasions, as well as screeches that could come from the piano or double bass strings are heard unexpectedly, while protracted silences break up an aggregate texture that otherwise seems unstoppable and never ending. As each blunt drum stroke, crisp string whistle and keyboard smack makes itself felt and is then subsumed by the comprehensive buzz, the logic of the piece’s horizontal evolution becomes self-evident. Expressed with a tremolo hum that fades and reanimates, the final sequence adds kettle-drum-like repercussions, col legno strokes and chiming key strokes. Following a klaxon-like honk as the track’s most elevated tone, the composition dissolves as the horizontal drone continues unabated.

Traditional, experimental or just plain swinging textures from the piano-bass-drum configurations can still be presented in multiple fashions as these trios demonstrate.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: Play: 1. Vamps and Feels 2. Synchronie 3. Saturday the 14^th 4. Smooth Sails 5. Where does time go? 6. Bíndara Búndara 7. Meditation 8. Bouncing with Berman 9. Decomposition 10. Combustion

Personnel: Play: Paul Giallorenzo (piano); Joshua Abrams (bass) and Mikel Patrick Avery (drums)

Track Listing: Flowers: 1. Baiao B 2. Oberek 3. Barok i Barcelona 4. The Wedding 5. Kirchen Madchen 6. Sleep

Personnel: Flowers: Grzegorz Tarwid (piano); Max Mucha (bass) and Albert Karch (drums and percussion)

Track Listing: Betrayal: 1. Croydon Smash 2. Hollywood Bypass 3. Neglecting Number One 4. Sun 5. Morfar Sixten 6. Fiend 7. Close Up 8. EB 9. Manipulate 10. Liability 11. Croydon Shuffle 12. Army Of Three

Personnel: Betrayal: Kit Downes (piano); Petter Eldh (bass) and James Maddren (drums)

Track Listing: Simplified: 1. A Simplified Space

Personnel: Simplified: Marlies Debacker (piano); Stefan Schönegg (bass) and Etienne Nillesen (extended snare drum)