Jorge Fernandez Trio: Historias Del Pasado Reciente

Mexican drummer/composer Jorge Fernandez returns with a trio project, joined by guitarist Juan Jose Lopez and double bassist Leonardo Cortes. López appeared on Fernández's previous quintet recording J.I.G.E.N. (Intolerancia, 2016), and one composition here is reprised from it. The quintet album was an eclectic collection of contemporary jazz, often featuring fusion sounds and grooves. This trio takes a slightly more mainstream jazz approach, but it's still all original music with no bebop in sight.

Opener "AB" spotlights the bass, as the bass ostinato that underlies the whole piece also introduces it, and Cortés contributes a fine bass solo too. On the quintet date the leader reserved the solo space for his band mates, but "Fragmento I" opens with a drum solo. For his guitar solo, López brings back the ring-modulator effect that was so striking on the previous album. "Cuando Se Desvaneció Tu Rostro" is like a slow march, with rhythmic displacements that are more common on this session, with its smaller, more nimble group.

"Hacia Las Barrancas II" is reprised here. The quintet version had opened the album, replete with sound effects and dramatic textural shifts. This version is a more focused reading of the tune, with a rubato opening replacing the noises, an overdriven guitar solo, and a drum solo accompanied by volume-swelled chords from the guitar. "Alterando El Paisaje" has a winding theme which almost feels like an introduction to the dreamlike extended chord sequence that follows. It certainly does not sound like a drummer's composition, except perhaps for the brief rock rhythm that repeats throughout.

Historias Del Pasado Reciente ("Stories From the Recent Past") is a fine showcase for Jorge Fernández as drummer and composer. The trio format gives increased focus to both his writing and his playing.