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Tri-Fi: Tri-Fi
ByA quick look at the songwriting credits should give some idea what Tri-Fi is about: balance, unity. Fries has penned four tracks, and Hall and Palombi wrote three each. These are spaced accordingly throughout the disc, not divvied up into uniform sections to suggest that one musician/composer should take precedence over another, or that any member of this trio prefers to think of himself in any context other than this one. And it follows, then, that the performances are equally balanced and unified. There is an almost tangible sense of solidarity among these three, and the perpetual forward thrust of the musicever swinging, ever groovyconveys this shared purpose and their flawless intercommunication.
"Cross Country" is a relaxed groover, appealingly pop-ish in its way, with some colorful rises and falls in both tension and melody. Palombi takes a great solo, deftly supported by Fries, who sprinkles the perfect supplementing notes when the bassist takes a somewhat unexpected direction. Hall uses his turn to develop a kind of crescendo and releaseit isn't meant to dazzle, rather to introduce a new and necessary propulsive quality into the song. Palombi's "My Family" is sweet, wistful, again made great by the trio's smooth interplay. The bassist takes another fine solo here, and the similaritiesthe lyricism, the flow so natural it seems universally preordainedbetween his playing and that of Scott LaFaro couldn't be clearer. Therefore it's no great surprise to know that Palombi has transcribed LaFaro's solos from his most famous recordings with the Bill Evans Trio, or that "LaFaro" would be the title of the sixth track, an intricate four-minute homage.
"James," penned by Fries, is bluesy and sparkling, though not quite as bluesy as Hall's "Gotta Give It Up," on which Palombi bows a fiery solo and Hall taps out a head-wagging beat. Palombi bows again throughout the drummer's exquisite waltz-time ballad "Kiri Kiri." On the final (or penultimate, given the optional bonus track) number Curtis Stigers makes good his brief appearance with a classy and heartfelt rendition of "You Go to My Head."
In a twist on the hidden tracks that were all the rage a few years ago, Tri-Fi offers instead an online bonus track that can be downloaded in MP3 or AAC using the code inside the CD jacket. It's a sassy, swinging version of Bernice Petkere's "Lullaby of the Leaves," and a tempting incentive to browse the trio's website after buying Tri-Fian outstanding album, and hopefully the first of many from this outfit.
Track Listing
Cross Country; My Family; A Point in Time; Good Night Charlie Brown; Gotta Give It Up; James; LaFaro; Kiri Kiri; Hillary Step; Breakthrough; You Go to My Head; Lullaby of the Leaves (web-only bonus track available with purchase of the CD).
Personnel
Tri-Fi
band / ensemble / orchestraMatthew Fries: piano; Keith Hall: drums; Phil Palombi: bass; Curtis Stigers: vocals (11).
Album information
Title: Tri-Fi | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: CAP
Comments
About Tri-Fi
Instrument: Band / ensemble / orchestra
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