Danny Fox Trio: Time Took Care of It

Brooklyn-based pianist and composer Danny Fox has an eye-catching background. He has studied with John Kamitsuka, Fred Hersch, Ethan Iverson and Garry Dial, and performed with artists as varied as Bruce Springsteen, Cassandra Wilson and Emmylou Harris. Since 2008, he has led the Danny Fox Trio with Time Took Care of It being their fourth album. The time the trio have spent working together is evident from their cohesive interplay in taking the classic piano trio format in challenging new directions.

Helping Fox to create his signature sound are bassist,Chris van Voorst van Beest, who has played with Robert Glasper and Frank Kimbrough. He is also a composer of contemporary classical music. Drummer Max Goldman completes the line-up. He has played with artists as diverse as Becca Stevens, Michael Attias and Tony Malaby.

Fox does not seem content to sit still. He is the founder of the chamber quartet Bubble Feed, has performed on Broadway, co-founded the New Orleans rock and roll group Tubby, composed music for documentaries and has a B.A. in Psychology from Harvard University. This album overflows with musical ideas. Few have time to settle and the chemistry between the musicians provides a rigor to their playing that is essential to the success of the 15 original tracks. The trio are adept at navigating changing tempos and time signatures. Sometimes these can be challenging but there are moments of beauty in every track.

"So Long Mel" provides a platform for the trio to improvise and interact before unfurling an attractive melody. This only lasts a short while before we are off in new directions. "Slow Ham" melds soulful rhythms with gentle classical piano, but as with most of the tracks, nothing lasts too long and the pace accelerates surprisingly at the end. The title track starts with a jaunty folky piano before leading into something more melancholic before a dizzying array of rhythms take over.

"The Ogres" starts with a sombre feel before settling into a piano vamp, then touches on the type of rock piano that you might hear on a Ben Folds album. "Very Cool Guy" has an insistent piano rhythm giving the bass plenty of time to play melodic lines. Album highlight "Here He Comes" shows the best of Fox's playing against inventive drumming and supportive bass. Album closer "Post Vals" combines bluesy rock, a waltz and a sprightly piano melody, before piano and bass combine to lead into fierce drumming from Goldman.

The trio's contemporary classical leanings often come to the fore as a compositional framework, allowing them to seamlessly move between improvisation, melody, intensity and whimsy. They are fearless in pushing the boundaries and experimenting with the traditional roles associated with a jazz piano trio. As an aside, there is an accompanying cookbook which pairs recipes with the album tracks. Both cook up a storm.

Comments