Kate Wyatt Trio: Murmurations

Murmurations, the dazzling aerial spectacle of starlings swirling together to form ever-changing shapes, is an apt title for this album from the Kate Wyatt Trio. The trio show a similar intuitive understanding, moving in unity while remaining attuned to each member's subtle shifts.

Kate Wyatt is a Montreal pianist with a string of recordings both as a leader and as an accompanist. These recordings include jazz albums as well as pop and TV work. Her previous album was a quartet outing, Artifact (Self-produced, 2022). This time the focus is on her trio, which includes Adrian Vedady on bass and Louis-Vincent Hamel on drums, with everyone contributing to the collection of original compositions.

In addition to the original compositions, the album features an adventurous interpretation of Kurt Weill's "Mack the Knife." Through fluid trio interplay, reharmonization and inventive bass solos, Vedady's clever arrangement withholds the familiar melody until near the track's conclusion.

The title track, composed by Wyatt, showcases excellent trio interplay, with all three voices in constant flux, separating and coalescing in new patterns. Wyatt's impressive improvisation navigates complex terrain while maintaining a clear melodic thread. As with much of the album, the trio strike an ideal balance of music that challenges and intrigues without sacrificing accessibility.

There are three Vedady compositions. The pretty piano melody of "Sunrise" features his bass solo before Hamel drives the pace, while "Embers" finds bass and piano weaving together, but the pick of the three is "Music Is Beautiful," with Wyatt's bright and assured improv and Vedady's bass solo finding him at his best. Hamel's composing contribution is the dark and mysterious "Bardo."

Wyatt's "Going To The Sun" is one of the standouts as she twists and turns around the attractive, uplifting melody laced with creative rhythms. "Patience" and "Coruscation" are other highlights, each built around Wyatt's melodic heart that serves as a base around which the trio trace fluid and engaging colours.

The album shows Wyatt's strong development as a bandleader alongside her sparkling piano phrasing. Throughout the release it is clear that space is a key element in the trio's sound as they make composition and improvisation exist in a balanced way. Both complex and rewarding, they never linger too long in one place; new ideas soon emerge, creating an album rich in texture and musical empathy.

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