Craig Taborn / Nels Cline / Marcus Gilmore: Trio Of Bloom

The concept of a musical "supergroup" is hardly new. It could be argued that Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie's assembly at Massey Hall in 1953 was an early example. This legendary bebop concert, despite the undeniable talent on stage, famously showcased clashing egos, particularly with a less-than-healthy Bud Powell. Charles Mingus even had to re-record his bass lines to ensure his contribution was heard in the final mix.

Even earlier, Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven unequivocally earned the "supergroup" title, dominating the jazz landscape with their groundbreaking recordings.

Norman Granz, a figure synonymous with jazz recordings, built a significant part of his reputation and fortune by orchestrating these collaborations. His knack for bringing musicians together to "create sparks" was epitomized by recordings like "Funky Blues," featuring Charlie Parker and Johnny Hodges in the same studio—a remarkable success.

The newly formed Trio of Bloom bears a spiritual kinship to the similarly named Trio of Doom, a legendary but short-lived group from 1979 featuring Tony Williams, John McLaughlin, and Jaco Pastorius. That iconic trio began recording their album in Cuba and finished it just days later in New York. While "supergroups" often generate immense audience excitement, they frequently demand compromises from the musicians involved. The primary challenge lies in their inorganic nature; they lack the effortless synergy that develops from consistent, long-term collaboration.

The Trio of Bloom, assembled by producer David Breskin, comprises Nels Cline, Craig Taborn and Marcus Gilmore. What is striking is that these three highly innovative musicians, despite their individual prominence, had never worked creatively together before. Cline, in particular, had no prior playing experience with either Taborn or Gilmore. Taborn and Gilmore, while sharing the stage on a handful of occasions, had never done so in a dedicated band setting. Breskin, of course, has a history with such formations, having produced another "supergroup" album, Power Tools (Bill Frisell, Marvin Gibbs, Ronald Shannon Jackson) nearly forty years ago.

For the Trio of Bloom, the inherent compromises of a supergroup likely fall most heavily on Taborn, a pianist of immense talent and unique vision. Taborn often speaks of "disappearing" into his music, of an almost subconscious wellspring of inspiration. This approach suggests a powerful way for listeners to engage with his work: to surrender to the "creative grooves, textures, rhythms, dynamics, motives and motifs" and fully appreciate the music's unique qualities. Interestingly, Taborn reportedly prefers the term "black improvisational tradition" over "jazz" and, much like Jason Moran, draws inspiration from a broad spectrum of art forms, including film and painting, which subtly informs his playing.

Producer Breskin encouraged each musician to contribute existing pieces they admired, alongside new compositions.

Nels Cline brought Terje Rypdal's "Bend It" from the album What Comes After (ECM, 1973). Its repetitive, hypnotic rhythm forms the backbone, over which delicate melodic fragments, ticking stick sounds and subtle, howling guitar counterpoint are layered.

Taborn's choice "Nightwhistlers" is a variation of a track from Ronald Shannon Jackson's Decoding Society album Eye on You (About Time, 1980). Marcus Gilmore's powerful rhythm provides a bracing opening, with Cline playing strikingly across the beat. Marcus Gilmore contributed a track from Wayne Shorter's album Native Dancer (Columbia, 1975). Taborn utilizes a celeste, and Cline employs loops to enhance the piece's inherent beauty.

One of the most unusual tracks is Cline's "Eye Shadow Eye," which provided Taborn with an opportunity to showcase his piano playing. On "Queen King," Cline offers a single-chord vamp—a rework of his composition "King Queen" created for the Nels Cline Singers. Taborn noodles on the keyboards before Cline's guitar savages the piece, eventually settling back into unison with Taborn.

The track "Bloomers" presents a particularly enigmatic soundscape. It evokes images of Geppetto's lair from Pinocchio with its chiming clocks and recalls the pioneering electronic sounds of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. This track stimulates the thought that true innovation today might lie not just in novel sonic combinations, but in the invention of entirely new musical ideas. Being beguiled by surface sonics can be a trap.

The discussion of keyboard choice brings to mind Keith Jarrett's experiences with Miles Davis. Jarrett primarily played keyboards with Davis because he wanted to collaborate with Jack DeJohnette. However, Jarrett felt that electronic instruments lacked the depth and nuance of a Steinway grand piano. The intriguing question arises: What words were spoken in the studio before the playing of "Why Canada" Is this a political statement? The track itself is a short, repetitive burst of compressed anger and jagged sounds, punctuated by a brief piano interlude and pointillistic accents.

Marcus Gilmore's "Breath" features Taborn's piano set against rich soundscapes from Cline. It is a cultured, impressionistic piece, almost reminiscent of what Debussy might have created with modern technology. Cline's remarkable restraint in this piece is particularly noteworthy.

In stark contrast to the often confrontational sound of the Trio of Doom, the Trio of Bloom is far less straightforward, perhaps more evasive, and certainly more nuanced in its approach.

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