Andrea Centazzo: West Coast Trio

Centazzo's music breathes and reverberates from the input of his band. He calls for an intuitive response to develop the theme and both Kai Kurosawa (guitar) and Motoka Honda (piano) help realize the depth and tangibility of his compositions.

The trio is fired by the spirit of adventure, yet each musician knows that the take-off point is integral to the success of the journey. Their empathy is apparent throughout the recording.

Centazzo is a vivid painter of notes who brings in several colors to his compositions, and then lets his band daub the canvas with their own hue. The result is a shimmering, translucent, three-dimensional portrait.

The compositions (written by Centazzo) are generally sparse with a minimalist approach that gives his band the room to cast their own shadow and both Kurosawa and Honda bring in depth and scale. The mood on "Dusk" is largely reflective and Honda ruminates on the theme with a delicate touch. Her reflections build the composition gradually, with Centazzo adding patterns with his splashes on percussion.

"Colors" has a discernible melody. Kurosawa opens it with deliberation on the Warr guitar, the thread then picked by Honda. It is immersed nicely in the mainstream before it shifts cohesively into freer form. The movement is reflective of the sense of timing and creativity of the trio.

"Find" has an agitating undercurrent. The music swirls and eddies, swishing and churning edgily. But surprise is often around the next note and it comes through a sudden calm, the crash of percussion, the staccato of the keyboard.

The West Coast Trio marks a strong presence with its cogent inventions.