3 Play+: American Waltz

The music of a band is determined by its players. 3 Play+ assimilates its diverse influences to bring about a confluent whole. The music scopes a wide panorama, from lilting waltz to startlingly fractured-time piece. Each track is a miniature encapsulation of its innovation, an inspired journey into the known and the unexpected.

3 Play+ is co-led by pianist Josh Rosen and bassist Lello Molinari. Rosen's musical biography is a cross-cultural musical travelogue; besides playing with Bennie Wallace and Either/Orchestra, he has transcended boundaries to play with Ethiopian singer Mahmoud Ahmed and Indonesian flute/gamelan player Mindia Devi Klein. Molinari has also been with Either/Orchestra, and counts Kenny Wheeler among his collaborators. With the addition of guitarist Mick Goodrick and tenor saxophonist George Garzone, the band comes full circle for an enchanting American Waltz.

"American Waltz" is sumptuous. A deep rooted beauty takes hold from the first piano note, the waltz time stirred sensuously. Goodrick and Grenadier, on a muted trumpet, continue to be minstrels of the feeling. It is all so beautifully crafted and bewitching.

Interplay takes on quite a contrasting countenance when the group goes "Happy Cramping." Grenadier shoots molten shards, while Rosen hammers home his runs in a delirious welter of ideas as Molinari and Pellitteri set a sizzling rhythm that drives the front line. The innate understanding between them is seamless and stimulating.

3 Play+ balances the music adroitly. Ballads like "Old Fashioned" create a harbor of gentility, while "Be A Battery" unlocks an explosion of interjecting lines and interlocking ideas. The band is comfortable in any zone it chooses to carve. In doing so, it opens the doors to surprise and joyous excitement.