Pete Coco: Lined With A Groove

Bassist Pete Coco tips his hat to his fellow four-stringers with his debut recording, Lined With A Groove, in a piano-trio setting, with New Orleans-bred Sullivan Fortner on the eighty-eights, and Matt Wilson sitting in on drums. The setlist is drawn from the compositions of fellow bass men Charlie Haden, Ron Carter, Paul Chambers, Ray Brown, Milt Hinton and Oscar Pettiford, with a couple of traditional spirituals thrown in.

The trio opens the set of well-chosen compositions with "Sandino," from Charlie Haden's Liberation Orchestra songbook. Coco's achingly beautiful arco introduces the tune. He switches to pizzicato as the trio comes in, featuring Fortner at his most eloquent, displaying a supple touch and a delicate eloquence. Wilson rolls in a supportive and textural mode here, as he does for most of the set—in contrast to his more exuberantly percussive work with pianist Myra Melford's Trio M. The tune is a perfect introduction to the cohesive trio dynamic that dominates the entire disc.

The pensive opener gives way to Red Mitchell's "You're Me," a serious swinger with a big bass bounce in its step, before the trio grooves into slinky prowl mode on Ron Carter's "Loose Change." Fortner is especially articulate here, bringing pianist Red Garland—in an experimental mood—to mind. "A Hundred Dollars," from the pen of Bob Bowen, a close friend of Coco's who passed away, can be counted as one of the disc's most beautiful moments—introspective and sad—along with the "Deborah," a cello homage to Coco's wife that serves as an introduction to Percy Heath's jaunty "Watergate Blues," featuring that cello in the forefront.

Lined With A Groove proves itself a superb debut, featuring a group that has the makings of one of the great piano trios.