I Am Three: In Other Words

Adventurous listeners who have been following the separate journeys of saxophonist Silke Eberhard, trumpeter Nikolaus Neuser and drummer Christian Marien have reason to rejoice whenever their paths converge, as they do once again in their trio I Am Three. Originally conceived as a Charles Mingus tribute project on its debut, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus (Leo Records, 2016), and a follow-up with vocalist Maggie Nicols on Mingus' Sounds of Love (Leo Records, 2019), I Am Three still retains a faint connection to the mercurial bass legend, choosing this album's title, In Other Words, from the opening words of Mingus' 1971 autobiography, Beneath the Underdog. (The trio's name is the remainder of the sentence.) There are no Mingus covers here, however, as the musicians are instead showcasing their own compositions. That is all to the good, as these three have plenty to say, with delightfully brisk, energetic exchanges which reveal the players' distinctive trio vocabulary.

It is a relatively short album, coming in at under forty minutes with eleven tracks. Nevertheless, it feels the right size as there is no meandering. Rather, Eberhard, Neuser and Marien give each piece its due, with plenty of strong playing and focused interactions, without getting bogged down in pointless digressions. Although Eberhard may be the best known of the three, she is limited to two compositions here, "Birthday Song" and "Fast Slow," both of which exhibit her trademark craftiness, having well-designed structures with generous room for maneuvering. Neuser especially shines on these cuts, with growls and splutterings alternating with limpid precision, and always in close rapport with Eberhard, while Marien manages both to maintain the pulse and to offer creative interjections throughout.

Marien composed five tracks, characterized by his usual feisty unpredictability. His penchant for a strong groove and tricky melodies is clearly realized on the almost too-brief opener, "Übersprungshandlung," not to mention the tempestuous, ironically-named "Pattersson Blues," which is not a blues. It is just another of Marien's wily compositions, played at a fast clip with razor-sharp unison lines from Eberhard and Neuser. Not to be outdone, Neuser contributes some terrific pieces too, with "Wait a Second" providing another ideal vehicle for the two horns' impassioned banter, and Marien's relentlessly punchy drumming keeping things barrelling forward. The album's closing track, Neuser's "Poem for Valentin," is especially arresting, with Marien providing a foundation of ominous rumblings on the toms while Eberhard and Neuser convey the piece's searching lyricism.

Fueled by three players with an abundance of skill and creativity, In Other Words leaves nothing wanting in its choice to move beyond Mingus, and it is certainly worthy of repeated encounters.