Playing a wide variety of instruments including the stritch, trumpet, tenor sax and the high pitched sopranino sax, Caleb Wheeler Curtis delivers a double disc session of two different trios with impressively swinging results.
The first team of Curtis with Sean Conly/b and Michael Sarin/dr are mostly fairly concise originals ranging from 2-7 minutes, with a bit vocals for bookends. The reeds are bright on the b ouncy “A Feather Is Not A Bird” and “The First Question” with the band getting a bit funky on “Bears and the Invention Of The Battery” and Curtis’ trumpet clear and clean on “This Cult Does Not Help”.
The second trio with Eric Revis/b and Justin Faulkner/dr focuses on the Thelonious Monk songbook, with Curtis’ trumpet shining with Revis on “Reflections” a fun read of “Jackie-ing”. There’s an easy and joyful cadence to “Oska T.” and warmth to “Ugly Beauty” with the rhythm team digging in on the kinetic “Played Twice” and “Boo Boo’s Birthday”. Happy threes.