Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Upper Left Trio: Three

183

Upper Left Trio: Three

By

Sign in to view read count
Upper Left Trio: Three
Occasionally, in the midst of media-hyped young lions re-creating and staking claim to past innovations, a jazz recording will emerge that nurtures the essence of tradition with openness and candor. Such engaging qualities can be heard on Three, the third release from Portland, Oregon's Upper Left Trio, featuring pianist Clay Giberson, drummer Charlie Doggett and bassist Jeff Leonard.

Three is characterized by unabashed improvised intensity smoothed over with moments of serene lyricism. Giberson, a dynamic soloist, leads the way with patience, yet demonstrates an acute efficiency for turning a theme inside-out; especially on his own freely developed "Scriab-Ish and the sparse rumblings of "Mantra. The group's hip, left-of-center rendition of "The 'In' Crowd manages to pay homage to the classic trio of Ramsey Lewis without being needlessly overt.

Doggett, a drummer of imagination and curiosity, propels each tune with cunningness and unrelenting swing. The fiery percussionist has a refreshing way of carving out melodious statements while simultaneously providing lucid support to Giberson's playful approach. His take-no-prisoners approach on the up-tempo "Matters of Perception is exemplary.

Leonard approaches the electric bass with upright sensibilities; his tone is thick, with a woody, low-end resonance. Although the intuitive bassist plays a mainly supportive role throughout, his minute-long improvised, and highly melodic foray, "Introduction, sets up the trio for a thoughtful reading of Neil Young's "Don't Let it Bring You Down. Leonard's compositional contributions include the odd-metered "Linguistricks, the bouncy "I See, You See, We See and the floating "Inside an Other.

The most satisfying aspect of Upper Left Trio is one of originality. While the influence of various classic piano trios can be heard, the music on Three speaks to the integrity of a truly unique and collaborative ensemble. Musical clarity, honesty and soulful performances prevail.

Track Listing

Revealed; Mantra; Linguistricks; The In Crowd; Scriab-ish; Introduction; Don

Personnel

Upper Left Trio
band / ensemble / orchestra

Clay Giberson: piano; Charlie Doggett: drums; Jeff Leonard: basses.

Album information

Title: Three | Year Released: 2007 | Record Label: Origin Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.