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Jamie Saft, Steve Swallow and Bobby Previte: The New Standard
ByReviewed via the CD format, the label has also issued a 180-gram vinyl pressing sans any computer-based enhancements. I'm confident the LP version will heighten the trio's organic soundscapes, supplemented by the warmth and spaciousness of analog. Even though Saft and associates make every note count, framed on a tried and true process, the album is not formulaic by any means.
They gel to a medium-tempo waltz on "Minor Soul," where Saft's piano phrasings parallel the intricate harmonic fluidities of Bill Evans as Swallow takes a solo and dances around the central theme during the bridge. With the greatest of ease, the trio delves into spicy R&B flavored motifs and deep-rooted jazz blues grooves. And they add a Gospel tinge on "Clearing," enamored with a simple melancholic hook, emphasized by Saft's sweeping organ lines. Otherwise, you can easily imagine a choir singing spirituals in the background.
The musicians generate some high heat with slick, off-kilter patterns atop a brisk swing vamp, throughout "I See No Leader," as Previte punches out the rhythm with terse cymbals hits and snappy snare shots. But "All Things To All People" boasts an exotic Middle Eastern pulse with hints of the Latin vernacular and classic jazz combo leanings within a rather modest, resonating two-chord melodic hook. In sum, the trio projects a refreshing slant, partly due to the respective musicians' distinctive and stylistic musical personas, that seamlessly transforms into this memorable spin on the conventional piano trio format.
Track Listing
Clarissa; Minor Soul; Step Lively; Clearing; Trek; The New Standard; I See No Leader; Blue Shuffle; All Things To All People; Surrender The Chaise.
Personnel
Jamie Saft
pianoJamie Saft: piano, organ; Steve Swallow: electric bass; Bobby Previte: drums
Album information
Title: The New Standard | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: RareNoiseRecords
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