Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Don Preston Trio: Transformation

232

Don Preston Trio: Transformation

By

View read count
Don Preston Trio: Transformation
Pianist Don Preston brings together an unusual combination of composure and freedom on his trio disc Transformation. While most of these pieces assume a reflective posture, the group also takes its liberties and spikes the mix with a good dose of healthy dissonance. That unassuming energy may reflect itself as melodic flights around the edges of formal harmony, as on "The Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue." Or it may advance through stuttering collective improvisation, as on "Walking BatterieWoman." The key forces that make this combination work are Preston's careful ambivalence with formal structure, bassist Joel Hamilton's unpretentious versatility, and drummer Alex Cline's light but insistent touch on the drums.

As Transformation progresses, the recording offers tunes that respect the vast tradition of the jazz piano trio. Preston's group works quite comfortably within boundaries—as revealed on the sentimental spiritual, "Inner Blues," and the swinging up-tempo number, "The Donkey." But even within the context of formal structure, Preston is eager to take an occasional step "out." Perhaps the most emphatic statement in this regard is the wide-open title track, where each player gets the opportunity to make an intensely personal statement, before converging together on a rolling theme. Preston sounds a lot like Don Pullen here—playing dense, thrusting chords and sweeping glissandi.

Preston may borrow elements from other pianists, like gospelly decorations or gothic architecture, but his style remains distinctively his own. When he offers vocals on the closing track (eg. "Time and Space!"), he definitely quirks things up. But rather than detracting from the group's cohesion, his adventures endow it with a special charm. The receptive listener may find himself queueing up expectantly for intergalactic transport. Transformation may be a bit restrained for the free jazz set, or a bit abstract for admirers of the tradition—but those are both advantages in my book.

Track Listing

The Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbeque; Walking BatterieWoman; Inner Blues (not a blues); I Love You; The Lind Sonata; Ode to the Flower Maiden; The Donkey; Transformation; The Prehistoric Eons.

Personnel

Album information

Title: Transformation | Year Released: 2001 | Record Label: Cryptogramophone

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.