Trio, Quartet, Quintet…three of the main ways that jazz is displayed these days. Here are a few bands that are a bit under the radar, but have some nice sounds coming your way. With all of these, it’s fun to play one of my favorite games, “Who’s the leader?” Can you audibly tell who the Macher is without looking at the notes?
The “Piano Trio” is usually lead by the …drumroll…PIANIST! Aleks Gershevich, however, leads from behind, which might not work for Middle East politics, but definitely is successful here. Along with Vlad Girshevich/p and David Arend/b, he creates some flying sparks on originals such as “Strange Memories” or “Broken Promises.” The leader cajoles his band mates through an exciting a varied display of rolls, paradittles, hi hats, ride cymbals and changing of meters throughout, keeping everyone alive and alert throughout. A real workshop of being adept at every part of the percussive traps. Fun time, in fact, even after this disc is over, I just can’t…stop…thinking about “Tomorrow”!
The Impossible Gentlemen sounds like exactly what it is: a co-op with no one taking the front mast. Consisting of Gwilym Simcock/p, Mike Walker/g, Steve Swallow/b and Adam Nussbaum/dr, the foursome show their digital dexterity of intricate pieces like the runaway “Laugh Lines.” Mostly, however, the mood is more subtle and subdued, with flowing pieces such as “When You Hold Her” or “Gwil’s Song” displaying some graceful picking by Walker, as well as some gentle ivory caresses by Simcock. Swallow’s bass is one of the most sublime sounds in modern jazz, and he creates some gorgeous wallpaper on “Clockmaker.” Flows like long drapes in the wind.
Pianist Richard Sussman leads through his composition skills on these 9 tunes, all of which he arranged and most of which come from his pen. Along with his band of heavy hitters (Rand Bracker/tp, Jerry Bergonzi/ts, Mike Richmond/b and Jeff Williams/dr ) Sussman shows an adeptness at driving pieces such as “Spare Change” and the cruising “Mike’s Blues,” which includes a cameo by the effervescent Mike Stern on his signature guitar. An enveloping take of “Alone Together” has some wondrous work by the front line of Bergonzi and Brecker, making this a hard bopper’s delight.