Trios of various triangulations
Recorded back at a Copenhagen gig in 2016, the piano trio team of Dado Moroni/p, Jesper Lundgaard/b and Lee Pearson/dr. Moroni shows his mainstream mop to stride talents on a lovely solo excursion of his own “First Smile” while he and the team slowly build up to a bopping climax on “Django”. Pearson’s brushes are divine around Lundgaard’s bass on “My Foolish Heart” while he gets a chance at the spotlight on “C Jam Blues”. The three flow impressively on the easy glide of the title tune and kick 
up the butanes on “Just One Of Those Things”. Blue collar work ethic.
Jazz vet Ben Sidran teams up with Billy Peterson/b and Leo Sidran/dr for confident reads of jazz standards. His fingers stretch wide on a rich solo read of “Over The Rainbow” and gets the joint jumping around Peterson’s bass for “Ain’t Misbehavin’”. Some nice and nifty drum work pulsates on “Tuxedo Junction” and a clever version of “Stompin’ at the Savoy’” has the leader slowing things down to a slow simmer. Two takes of “Laura” are highlighted by chimes, with a relaxed warmth that is missing in modern digits. Sublime sounds.
Pianist and composer Michael Wollny teams up with bassist Tim Lefebvre and drummer Eric Schaefer for a mix of post modern originals and covers. He’s somber, strong and dark on “I Loves Y ou Porgy” and plods through some bells and bass on “In A Sentimental Moon” while the folk traditional “She Moved Through The Fair” is a rubato guided by Schaefer’s cymbals. A bolero-ish “Beat The Drum Slowly” builds up gloriously , piano strings are strummed on the somber “Ghosts” and the team rocks out on the prepared piano of “Erlkonig”. Looking for a unifying tone.
The songbook of Maurice Ravel is cleverly interpreted by leader/bassist Dieter Ilg, Rainer Bohm/p and Patrice Heral on this album highly reminiscent of early and vintage Bill Evans. Dieter has a lyrical and loose feel, not unlike Scott Lafaro, and Bohm has Evans in his phalanges, with Heral brushing deftly on “Menuet Sul Le Nom De Hayden” and supplying a deft pulse on the upbeat “Trio”. The team ricochets through “Alborada Del Gracioso” and is delicate for “Adagio Assai”. Ilg sways through “Valse II and delivers a ballet like “Sonatine I” whle the team digs in “Pavane De La Belle Au Bois Dormant”. Crystalline treasures.