A trio of threes…
The unorthodox trio of Kevin Woods on trumpet and flugelhorn, pianist Miles Black and John Stowell on steel, nylon and fretless baritone guitars makes for playful work of originals and some jazz standards. Woods and Stowell dance around “I Hear A Rhapsody” with Black waxing eloquence on Wayne Shorter’s “Virgo”. The three play peek-a-boo on Bill Evans’ “Peris-Scope” and are languid for Jobim’s “Inutil Paisagem.” Most lyrical is Black’s romantic “Since Last December” that has Woods in full bloom, with clever jabs on the lyrical “Solo En Viento Sabe”. Three’s company.
Gato Libre is the name of the team Natuski Tamara on trumpet, Yasuko Kaneko playing trombone and accordionist Satoko Fujii delving into eight of Tamara’s compositions. The overall mood is reflective, slow, with rich harmonies and a dash of bohemia. The tunes sometimes feature on of the artists, such as Fujii on the dreamy “Koneko”, the soft Tamura on “Doraneko” or the deep Kaneko for “Noraneko”, or they do some deft interplay of moods, gently jabbing on “Bakenako” or delicately undulating on “Kaineko”. Thin brushes of watercolor.
Keys and Screws is formed by Thomas Borgmann on tenor sax, soprano sax and toy melodica along with bassist Jan Roder and Willi Keller on drums, steel drum and percussion for four pieces. The rhythm team creates a liquid pulse for Borgmann’s high pitched reeds and toy on “The Other Morning In The Park”, with the tow part “Broadway Birdy” mixing a bluesy tenor and post bop currents. The finale “Catham Bellbird” has Roder scratching his bass for the eternal itch with Borgmann’s tenor like Old Man River, just rolling along. Loose gooses.