Dawn Clement / Steve Kovalcheck / Jon Hamar: Dawn Clement / Steve Kovalcheck / Jon Hamar

A trio sans drums offers the opportunity for a capacious clarity that you can't find anywhere else. And this particular collective with pianist Dawn Clement, guitarist Steve Kovalcheck and bassist Jon Hamar embraces that possibility while highlighting an inviting style all its own. Splitting compositional duties and showcasing an empathetic sixth sense that involves baton-passing bonhomie, dovetailing joints, melodic volleying, conversational chemistry, steady support and sympathy, these three demonstrate what egoless creativity is all about.

There is clear aural accord at play right from the start on this eponymous effort. All forces align and entwine as foreground and background roles readily and smoothly shift during Clement's all-seeing "Blind." Kovalcheck's capering "Spirit Sun," inspired by drumming icon Roy Haynes, puts a waltzing feel in focus. Two neighboring Hamar originals look to vastly different realms with positive results—"Lazy Dragon," which highlights malleable phrasing in reflection, and "Paseo Del Mar," a samba-esque gem that opens with arco allure. And Clement's condensed "Hardball"—a bop-based contrafact on Rodgers and Hart's "Do It the Hard Way"—delights as it coheres and carries through.

Hamar's "Clarity" serves as the album's centerpiece, displaying perception through patience as it unfolds. Then the trio continues through the second half of the program by exhibiting its telepathic rapport from a number of different angles. Kovalcheck's "It's About Time" serves as a double entendre in title, referencing both the feel for this Latin-to-swing shifter and the long-awaited arrival of the album (which was recorded back in 2021). Clement's "The Meadow is an Ocean" acts a naturalist's retreat, offering a balm bridging Cascadian comforts and High Plains wonder(s). Kovalcheck's "Tomorrow Island," namechecking the Big Diomide in the Bering Strait, bounces and bows to optimism. Hamar's "For Now" finds the trio in full artistic bloom, working with kaleidoscopic creativity in mind. And Clement's "Tree Hugger" closes out the production with an eye and ear on environmentalism, gratitude, love and light. In an age when dazzle is typically defined by fireworks, synthesized buzz and spectacle, this trio spins the word and concept in a very different direction with a very flattering, unostentatious draw.

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