Life in threes…
Bassist Piet Verbist brings together Grant Green-toned guitarist Hendrik Braeckman and deft drummer Lionel Beuvens for a mix of originals and bop standards on this charming session. Of the latter, Beuvens gives a nice cadence around Verbist’s lead on Charlie Parker’s “Cheryl” while Thelonious Monk’s “Pannonica” has some clever stick work around the quirky melody. The strings get nimble on “Ji Ha” and the team swings well on the snappy “Secret Exit” with Braeckman delivering some rich fingerwork over Beuvens’ brushes on “The Other Side” and the bluesy “Bridge House” using space as a sound. The three sound fresh and alert, with a symbiotic support during each other’s solos as they veer in and out of one another’s way like pedestrians rushing to catch the same subway.
The trio of Carol Liebowitz/p, Adam Lane/b and Andrew Drury/dr put together five originals of freely improvised conversations. There’s the obligatory drum stick scratching the cymbal for the edgy effect of “Sequoia Moon” and “Curve” with bowed bass veering around hairpin turns. Dark military drum patterns and dark pianistic pluckings take place on “Crosstown” with a free form arm wrestling match between bass and drums takes place on “Passacaglia” with the piano refereeing the match to a draw. Music or scrambled eggs with instruments?