Every era has bands and artists that create seismic shifts in style. The Bad Plus came around in the 1990s to formulate a new type of piano trio, going away from the “mow, blow and go” of standards to a more cohesive unit. Here are a pair of trios that drink deeply from these waters.
Pianist Aki Rissanen teams up with bassist Antti Lotjonen and drummer Teppo Makynen for eight trio pieces and a single solo tune. The latter, a fluid and dark “Love Song” is a deep journey of dynamics and themes, while he shows elegiac lightness teaming with the bass pulse on “Arborium.” Bass and drums ripple on “Aeropaens” and plod along for “Alava Maa” with snapping stick patterns on “Das Untemperierte Klavier” and the kinetic “Facts and Fiction.” Rich interplay and themes and moods more than AABA formats.
The trio of Oscar Rossignoli/p, Matt Booth/b and Brad Webb/dr converse back and forth on team composed pieces. A dash of Monkish bop gets elliptical on “When the Internet Breaks” the team skips along on “Secrets.” A couple of tunes such as “Connie” and “Sweet Teeth” focus on rich grooves that Rossignoli takes to clever paths, while the pianist is pretty and fluid during “Loft Spaces” and stately during “Nepotism.” Joyful skipping of the drums on ‘Secrets” and a rumble on “Words That Begin With Seven” have the gents jabbing back and forth, while the title piece is a lovely and lyrical glide. Conversations of note.