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Rick Stone Trio: Fractals
ByStone's approach is decidedly straight-ahead, in the manner fellow guitarists Jim Hall and the late Wes Montgomery. He is a fine tunesmith, too, though he opens Fractals with a familiar standard, "Stella By Starlight." The song starts off darkly, but then the stars rise, and Stone takes the melody on a sprightly run, with an inspired section of improvisation. Bassist Marco Panascia and drummer Tom Pollard are mostly understatedmore backing the leader than interactingthough they do get their chances show off their solo prowess in short, succinct turns.
The trio flies a bit freer on the title tune, a Stone original with sharper edges on the angles of his sound, and more bounce in the rhythm. The mood shifts to the exuberant side on "Key Lime Pie," leading into a lovely, laidback take on the familiar Jimmy Van Heusen/Eddie DeLange classic, "Darn That Dream." The bass/drum accompaniment is just a whisper, as Stone patiently unfolds his re-harmonization of this beautiful tune.
Stone's "Speed Bump" rolls with an easy swing along a straight bebop groove, and his "Nacho Momma's Blues" finds the guitarist riding the momentum of Pollard's sizzling cymbals on the most modern sounding tune of the set.
In the "surprise category," the trio offers up "Ballad for Very Sad Lotus Eaters," a rare jewel from the pen of composer, pianist and Duke Ellington's alter ego Billy Strayhorn. It is a delicately lovely ballad taken at a deliberate pace to be savored, contrasting nicely with Stone's set-closing "The Phrygerator," with a medium-heat, forward-leaning and tightly wound sound wrapping up this first-rate set of jazz guitar.
Track Listing
Stella By Starlight; Fractals; Key Lime Pie; Darn That Dream; Scoby; Nacho Mama's Blues; Smoke Gets in Your Eyes; Places Left Behind; Speed Bump; Ballad for Very Sad Lotus Eaters; The Phrygerator.
Personnel
Rick Stone (Guitar)
guitarRick Stone: guitar; Marco Panascia: bass; Tom Pollard: drums.
Album information
Title: Fractals | Year Released: 2012 | Record Label: Jazzand
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Rick Stone Trio
CD/LP/Track Review
Rick Stone
Dan McClenaghan
Braithwaite & Katz Communications
Jazzand
United States
Jim Hall
Wes Montgomery
Marco Panascia
Tom Pollard
Eddie Lange
duke ellington
Billy Strayhorn
Fractals