Customer Reviews

Trio Fascination, Edition One

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Before I listened to the record I wasn't confident about it, purely due to the fact that there is no chordal instruments, such as guitar or piano. But Dave Holland's double bass-playing definitely makes the back ground music fluent and coherent with Lovano's sax-playing, who is simply a natural modern postbopper that turns his sax into a killing machine---you either feel relaxed or go completely MAD with him! Elvin Jones can always put the strong accent at the right position to enpower the music, and he plays with style !!

I have always loved Tenor, bass and drum trios, and this one is exceptional. All three musicians have their ears wide open. I think Dave Holland has to be particulary singled out as he is not playing the "traditional role" of a bass player. He is playing more "colors" than straight time, which opens up Joe and Elvin to be more free. The interplay between Elvin and Joe is particlulary frightening. Being a drummer myself, I am also very impressed with the recording quality of the drums. Elvin has his drums tuned up high to sound more melodic and too many times, know nothing engineers have a tough time dealing with that and try to flatten the sound out. This is particularly apparent in the tuning of the small 18" bass drum that Elvin plays. I recommend this release to anyone, but it would be at it's most valuable to student jazz musicians as a wonderful learning tool in the realm of trio playing.

Joe Lovano has, of course, received an enormous amount of hype over the last few years. So is it deserved? Yes and no. He's not the next Sonny Rollins as some have claimed (but who is, really?), and in fact he isn't a major innovator at all. There are other improvising musicians out there who are forging new paths in ways Lovano doesn't even hint at. Just because he isn't reinventing the wheel, however, doesn't detract from the fact that he's one of the most distinctive saxophone stylists in the modern mainstream (and, despite what many have said, he is thoroughly mainstream rather than avant-garde). This is one of his strongest albums, because it features him doing a lot of what he does best: blowing. That's right, no high concepts, no large ensembles, just Lovano's four horns and two of the best rhythm men in the history of jazz. The reflective "Sanctuary Park" is just about worth the price of the album. If you're looking to get into Lovano's work, this is as good a place as any to start.

Like the reviewer below I had some misgivings about music without chords. But I come back to this CD over and over again. This is one of my favorite recordings. Jazz people will really like this music . It is good straight ahead post bop and will not disappoint. Joe is dead on.

Awhile back I was of the opinion that nothing worth checking out was happening on the current jazz scene. It seemed that all the Great Ones were either dead or dying, and the shiny, sickeningly-sweet, softness of "contemporary" jazz (aka: smooth jazz, aka: elevator music) was creeping into the mainstream. Rare was the album that I investigated that had a vintage post 1975. However one man changed all that, and on the sheer strength of his tenor-blowing prowess, and his willingness to put himself in varied musical situations, was able to open my eyes to the worth of the current scene, and the fact that some musicians still had that hard edge bite in their playing; disciples of Coltrane rather than Kenny(G). That man was Joe Lovano, in whose sound could be perceived splashes of sonic color attributed to the likes of masters such as Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Sam Rivers, Lee Konitz, Jackie Mclean, Warne Marsh, and some of the full-throated heaviness of someone like Dexter Gordon. I started with "From the Soul", and was duly impressed, however the road of high expectations is littered with the decayed bodies of flash in the pan- one off wonders who couldn't do it twice. "Trio Fascination" was the album of Mr. Lovano's that put him over the edge for me, and beyond the grey realm of reproach. Nobody could put together two albums that good with just smoke and mirrors, there had to be some world class talent, not to mention fine judgment. After digging deeper into more of Joe's output like "Joyous Encounters", "Landmarks", "Quartets", "Friendly Fire", and "Sounds of Joy" my opinion was confirmed with one additional caveat: the welcomed thought that this guy was in the process of vying for a place among the legends.
And if you're aiming for the ether why not bring along two masters whose own places in the pantheon are secure, such as Elvin Jones of Coltrane's Quartet fame, and the prolific Dave Holland, the most renowned bassist since Mingus. As Sonny Rollins demonstrated back in the day (on "Way Out West", "Night At The Village Vanguard", and "Freedom Suite"), there is no better format to show off one's skills on the sax than the trio. Wide open spaces, time to burn, lack of clutter, and a focused spotlight are all characteristics of the power trio, but it takes a player who is ready to carry a big load, and who lacks the inclination to run and hide, and most of all one who has a wealth of ideas and the means to execute them. Joe Lovano more than fits that gaudy bill. Witness the steely chops, and unvarnished virtuosity of Lovano's various horns on tracks such as "studio rivbea" (I'm guessing a tribute to Sam Rivers), "sanctuary park", "impressionistic", and the lone non-original "ghost of a chance". Lovano dances all over the fine line between the structured strength of the "in" and the freedom of the "out", at times channeling Rollins from his Vanguard session, and at others Coleman from the Golden Circle. All that need be said about Elvin Jones and Dave Holland is that the music they lay down here (all blurred hands and fire) ranks with their many, many triumphs (which really shouldn't surprise anyone).
For me personally this is a special album, as it provided the motivation to check out newer musicians such as Brad Mehldau, Greg Osby, Jason Moran, Lafayette Gilchrist, and Joshua Redman, who coincidentally all have worked to some degree in the trio format ("Day Is Done", "Channel Three", "Facing Left", "Three",and "Back East" respectively). Not to mention the desire to dig deeper into Lovano's own discography, however even without the personal sentiment this album is still a joyous discovery for those who like their jazz straight up, with a hard edged bite. Highly recommended.

Joe is at home to blow his horn. If you like Joe, you won't be disappointed.

Saxophones doing a trio CD put themselves right out there, since there's no other 'lead' voice. Even Coltrane takes a break in "Giant Steps" for a piano solo. So, how does Lovano do? Very well, though the CD as a whole would have been improved with a song or two left off. Joe Lovano mixes things up with different horns, and different song types and tempos. In addition, Dave Holland and Elvin Jones are a dream team rhythm section. At times the bassist provides some singing melody from the low end. The CD starts off well with "New York Fascination", "Eternal Joy" has a chirpy riff on soprano. "Ghost Of A Chance" is the sole standard, and Joe does a very classy job on it. "Studio Rivbea" has a catchy melody. "Cymbalism" is a nimble song that gets developed real well. "Impressionistic" sounds like it's the most improvisatory - with these guys you can't go wrong! "4 On The Floor" features another catchy riff. So, which ones might I have left off to concentrate the saxophonic goodness? "Sanctuary Park" and "Villadisco". They're not bad songs, just not the equal of the others.

All in all, a very fine effort by one of today's better saxophonists.

mr. lovano gives us a chamber piece here, coupled with the outstanding rhythm section of elvin jones and doug holland. together they explore various forms (blues, ballads, burn outs, etc.) with great aplomb. the solos are marvelous and mr. jones and mr. holland simply get better as years go by. highlights on this album are the quiet somnolence of 'sanctuary park,' the quirky bop of 'eternal joy,' and the wonderful interplay of '4 on the floor.' this is a great introduction to mr. lovano, an artist who continues to develop and deepen with time (check out his latest release with his nonet).

I suppose this is a decent tribute to the off-beat, hard-bop 'Trane-isms weaving throughout Lovano's playing, but it's by no means a highlight trio work for me. Rarely sinking melodic hooks deep enough to evoke anything besides fleeting emotional interlocks, this just hasn't aged gracefully enough for me to often hear anything over the "trying" intellectualism. Technically however, these players can be dissected and respected without hesitation.