Back in the day, piano trios were used as backups to play standards for soloists as the famed teams lead by Oscar Peterson and Red Garland, swinging units all their own or rich post bop models in the likes of McCoy Tyner or Bill Evans. Now, the threesomes create spacious and crystalline moods, displayed on these two recent albums.
Bassist Mats Eilertsen leads a team of Harmen Fraanje/p and Thomas Stronen/dr through ten reflective originals. There are two takes of “22,” both using space and silence as a fourth partner. Eilertsen and Stronen dig deeplyin into “Sirens” and form reflective droplets and gentle chimes for “After the Rain.” Pizzicato’d edginess gets tensile on the title track, with Stronen’s brushes skating along the ice on the pastel’d “Albatross.” Starry starry nights.
Pianist Yonathan Avishai’s trio with Yoni Zelnik/b and Donald Kontomanou/dr create evocative moods that slowly evolve through their journeys. Avishai slowly draws out the theme for Duke Ellington’s “Mood Indigo” as Kontomanou’s cymbals quietly coax him along, while the team gently builds up on the cheerfully swinging “Song For Anny” and drum rolls a the team along with Avishai’s Garner’d dance on a festive “Le Pianos de Brazzaville.” Avishai also goes solo on some of the intros, gliding into “Shir Boker,” rich and deeply sensuous on “Tango” and whimsically building up on the title track. Well crafted and arranged, with little tolerance for wasted notes and ideas.
ECM Records
www.ecmrecords.com