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Trio M: Big Picture
Each musician contributes compositions but, with the exception of the ambitious, suite-like title track penned by Melford, the pieces were written for other groups, rearranged and reinterpreted here. Stripped of the brass and reeds of the original version, the pianist's "brainFire and bugLight is spacious, with Wilson, then Dresser, embellishing the spare piano introduction. The intensity builds as they playfully tease the theme, move into open passages and coalesce again. A rolling tom-tom rhythm burbles beneath Dresser's "For Bradford," a piece written for his drummer-less trio, showing the malleability of the composition and Wilson's inventiveness. The drummer's "Naïve Art boasts a staggering, bluesy feel that Melford peppers with roadhouse swagger and with Dresser's arco spiraling, an accelerating ensemble figure hurtles toward the conclusion.
The title track exemplifies Trio M's modern approach: the improvisations seamlessly segue to composed sections without emphatically stated head-solo-head forms. Wilson's probing opens the piece and later urges the fleet-fingered Dresser's thrumming cushion for Melford's flourishes and percussive key hammering. When the tempo ebbs, her spare notes, amid light drum and cymbal colors, accent a mournfully bowed bass that melts to a whisper.
With a nod to its enduring fertility, Trio M joyfully confounds expectations with the litheness afforded by the piano trio format.
Track Listing
brainFire and bugLight; For Bradford; Na
Personnel
Myra Melford: piano; Mark Dresser: bass; Matt Wilson: drums.
Album information
Title: Big Picture | Year Released: 2008 | Record Label: Cryptogramophone
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Big Picture