3D Jazz Trio: 9 to 5

One can't help but learn about the meaning of style and sophistication from the 3D Jazz Trio. Since the release of its debut—3Divas (Self-Produced, 2017)—pianist Jackie Warren, bassist Amy Shook and drummer Sherrie Maricle have proven to be a collective paragon of taste. Whether swinging for the fences, setting scenes ablaze in Latin quarters, captivating with balladic charms or taking playfulness to new peaks, this band is always a model for musicality.

On this, the group's third album, Warren, Shook and Maricle continue to set the bar high with sharp arrangements and stellar playing. Entering on "I Only Have Eyes for You," they immediately demonstrate a magic in mutability. Warren and Shook each feature in the foreground, but it's Maricle's masterful groove GPS that guides them through every artful turn. Then it's off to Gil Fuller and Chano Pozo's Dizzy Gillespie-associated "Tin Tin Deo," where Warren delights with a rhapsodic intro before her bandmates join in for a sensational bembe-and-swing burner; on to Joe Raposo's classic "Sing," honoring Karen Carpenter and featuring Maricle's deft brush work at both ends of the arrangement; over to a rip-roaring take on the title track, ushered in with Shook's countrified arco and Warren's bluesy rejoinders; and through a touching "Some Other Time," dedicated to the memory of Warren's father.

Leaving reflection behind, this outfit returns to energetic environs in fine fashion. "There is No Greater Love" gets a fun-loving and high-spirited treatment. "Lágrimas Negras" calls on Afro-Cuban energy and allure. Shook's "Blues for G-C"—honoring Executive Producers Pat and Marcia Gallas-Christie—demonstrates what an all-ears gathering can achieve while plying its trade over familiar forms. And Warren's "Theme for B.T."—nodding to the composer-pianist's feline family member—closes things out with brilliant buoyancy. From beginning to end, 9 to 5 never disappoints. Chalk it up to a simple truth: This is three monster musicians doing what they were meant to do.

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