Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Charles Rumback: Threes
Charles Rumback: Threes
ByRumback is a sensitive drummer, not inclined to bash or pummel his kit; instead, he's much more at home as a colorist, or in setting up an infectious groove with Tate, with whom he definitely shares a rhythmic sensibility as a product of their years of playing together. Baker, long a fixture in Chicago in part through his work with a host of leading-edge saxophonists (including Ken Vandermark, Dave Rempis, and Fred Anderson), is similarly content here to stay relatively constrained, eschewing showiness in favor of compelling harmonic explorations and measured improvisations.
Melody is definitely at the fore of the music. On Rumback originals like "Salt Lines" and "Too Toney," or the Andrew Hill cover "Erato," Baker develops lyrical sentiment over the supple rhythmic support of Rumback and Tate. "Salt Lines" offers an especially memorable tune in a gentle 3/4 tempo, and the track has the kind of feel one might associate with Tord Gustavsen, or Peter Erskine's trio with Palle Danielsson and John Taylor: taking a deceptively simple melody and embellishing it through compelling rhythmic interplay and deft harmonic subtleties. Rumback is indeed reminiscent of Erskine as a drummer capable of bringing genuine emotional depth to both his playing and his compositions. The trio's performance of Hill's "Erato" is very much in the same vein; although the head is a bit more complex, it's the stately grace of the piece that gives the track its power.
Unlike the shorter tracks, the 21-minute-plus "Three Storey Birdhouse/Right Reasons" gives the trio a bit more freedom. Baker is clearly at his strongest when he's got the autonomy to leave settled parameters behind: whether in the relatively unstructured first half of the track or over a loose, ostinato bass groove during the latter half, he takes advantage of the additional space he's given to take things farther out. And Tate and Rumback are more than willing to go there with him. While never letting things get out of control, the trio show here that they can do more than offer a clever melody; with a well-honed rapport and a shared sense of purpose, they can make room for some engaging spontaneous creativity as well.
Track Listing
1. Salt Lines; 2. Three Storey Birdhouse / Right Reasons; 3. Erato; 4. Too Toney.
Personnel
Charles Rumback
drumsCharles Rumback: drums; Jim Baker: piano; John Tate: bass.
Album information
Title: Threes | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: Ears And Eyes Records
< Previous
Garden(s)
Comments
Tags
Charles Rumback
CD/LP/Track Review
Troy Dostert
Threes
Ears And Eyes Records
Caroline Davis
Jeff Parker
John Tate
Jim Baker
Ken Vandermark
Dave Rempis
Fred Anderson
Andrew Hill
Tord Gustavsen
Peter Erskine
Palle Danielsson
John Taylor