Sebastian Weiss Trio: Polaroid Memory

Since the innovations of Bill Evans back in the late ‘50s, the piano trio has become one of the most expressive formats for the creative musician. The pianist, bassist and drummer can interact in ways that work wonderfully on a smaller scale, but would become too cumbersome in a larger ensemble. It is within this resourceful convention that German pianist Sebastian Weiss presents his latest trio affair, Polaroid Memory. All ten of the pieces are Weiss originals and each one manages to travel the road less taken. From the march tempo of the title track to the Cecil Taylor abstractions that mark “Blues For a Brave Drummer,” Weiss and his cohorts offer a fresh perspective on the piano trio format. Unusual for players of this age, Weiss, bassist Bob Bowen, and drummer Dan Weiss never engage in showy displays of technique just for the sake of thrills, instead they let the creative process develop naturally along the lines of the chart at hand. Fresh and ambitious, Polaroid Memory is well worth a listen and it serves as a fine introduction to a talent on the rise.