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Billy Jones: 3's a Crowd
ByAside from a few sideman appearances, Jones is not a widely-known presence, and that's true of most of his compatriots here. Although there are a couple notable names (pianist Mick Rossi and tenor saxman Gary Meek), most of these guys are, like Jones himself, relatively under-represented. But the music they've produced for this record is well-played, enjoyable jazz, adept in documenting Jones's sympathetic presence in partnership with a wide diversity of instrumentation, including not just saxophones and piano but vibes (Tony Miceli), flute (Kenny Stahl), bass clarinet (Stu Reynolds), and voice (Scotty Wright).
Jones explains the guiding concept of the record as one that "places the drums in constant dialogue with one other instrumentalist," the goal of which is to "raise the drums from its traditional role of accompaniment, to that of partner to that other voice." He's gone some distance in that direction, especially on the opener, "3's a Crowd," where he and altoist George Young engage in some terrific give-and-take on a calypso-flavored theme, or "Just Above the Clouds," in which Jones helps stir Stahl's flute in cooking up a funky stew. On many of the other tracks, however, there's less of an overt dialogue than one might like (even on tracks like "John Cage Scared My Dog," with Rossi and "For John and Elvin," with Meek, despite the fact that those tracks are purely improvised). Rather than taking the lead or prodding his colleagues directly, Jones is usually content to provide disciplined, tasteful support for his partners. Not that he isn't a gifted drummer in this regardindeed, he's remarkably fluid and always makes appropriate choices, especially on brushes, which he uses skillfully on a number of the tracks. But it isn't quite as much a realization of the idea of dialogue as he was perhaps hoping for when putting the record together.
Even so, it should be emphasized that there's some fine jazz on display here, definitely worthwhile in its own right. In addition to the aforementioned tracks with Young and Stahl, highlights include "Chant of the Soul," with yearning, wordless vocals from Wright, and "Ellie's Dream," a lovely piece with pianist George Genna, which closes the record in style. Throughout the record, Jones makes a convincing case that in the right hands, the drums offer abundant musical possibilities for this formateven for those in traditional jazz circles.
Track Listing
3’s a Crowd; Song for Meg; The Call; John Cage Scared My Dog; For John and Elvin; Just Above the Clouds; Gone Now; A Monotony of Hazards; Chant of the Soul; Ellie’s Dream.
Personnel
Billy Jones
guitarBilly Jones: drums; George Young: alto saxophone; John Vanore: trumpet; Mick Rossi: piano; Tony Micelli: vibraphone; George Genna: piano; Tyrone Brown: bass; Scotty Wright: vocal; Kenny Stahl: flute; Stu Reynolds: bass clarinet; Gary Meek: tenor saxophone.
Album information
Title: 3's a Crowd | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: acoustical concepts