Some days I’d be happy listening to nothing but piano trios. Here are two recent releases that satisfy that urge.
From the ECM vaults comes this splendid live recording by the late UK pianist John Taylor’s trio with Americans Marc Johnson on bass and Joey Baron on drums. It was recorded on tour in Birmingham (UK) in January 2002 a few months before they entered an Oslo studio for their critically acclaimed album Rosslyn.
I’ve not run across Taylor before, though he recorded a lot for ECM starting in 1977. He was a superb composser and improviser, with command of styles from lush ballads to hard bop to skittering post-bop, all of which are in some evidence here among the five airy renditions, which range in length from eight to 15 minutes.
He was also a superb interpreter of others’ works, of which two excellent examples are included on this album, the title track by Ralph Towner and Steve Swallow’s amazing “Up Too Late.” That one is the centerpiece of Tramonto both literally and figuratively, showcasing the best of all three players. The piece’s shifting moods perfectly capture the feelings you’ll recognize if you’ve ever pulled an all-nighter, from manic energy to bleary fatigue. I’m most familiar with (and quite fond of) Baron’s work so the first time through this one I closely followed the drummer, here playing mostly with very slim sticks on his signature tightly tuned snare. Both he and bassist Johnson are key to the piece’s arc, telegraphing upcoming shifts well before they appear on the piano line. It’s an intricate and highy witty piece, highly recommended.
Taylor didn’t record in a piano trio format for ECM very much, other than with the Peter Erskine trio, which waxed Taylor’s compositions “Pure And Simple” and “Ambleside.” Those two bookend this date and they’re quite different just about every way. “Pure And Simple” is a driving but sketchy piano piece with classical influences for most of its 10 minute run, although it slides into a bluesy, melodic swing about two-thirds of the way through. Both showcase Baron’s energetically precise work with some slick solos. “Ambleside” tops out at 15 minutes while shifting through a varieety of moods and modes — from an ethereal arco bass opening section in which Taylor and Baron both play their instruments by hand through a swinging piano-led core section and into lengthy bass and drum-fronted stretches.
For a change of pace there’s Taylor’s delicate ballad “Between Moons,” which also made it onto this trio’s Rosslyn studio recording and which has a strong Bill Evans influence, always a good thing.
This is a remarkably clear and sharp set, considering it was captured live nearly 50 years ago. Big thanks to ECM for resurrecting this one
For a refreshing take on the piano trio format, check out Døgnville by the Norwegian pianist Liv Andrea Hauge’s trio. It follows hard on the heels of their sophomore release, 2024’s Ville Blomster, which I liked a lot. This album retains a strong Nordic feel in its jazz arrangements and playing, which I suspect has to do with voicings and choice of progressions, but I’m not enough of an expert on the form to say definitively.
It also has a dreamy quality to it, which is explained by the title. According to the album notes, it “…explores the feeling of being “døgnvill” – a Norwegian term describing the sensation of being out of sync with time and reality, like during jet lag or insomnia,” as much of it was composed by Hauge while she was in bed with a high fever. It also comes from the way she occasionally sings along wordlessly with the music, a technique I don’t always enjoy but here I find charming and dreamy.
I’m smitten especially with the second track “Natt Natt Natt” (Night Night Night), which leads with a strong melody followed by a beguiling improvised section on which Hauge sings along.
The trio retains the same membership since its formation in 2022, with bassist Georgia Wartel Collins and drummer August Glännestrand joining Hauge. The rhythm section is strongly in sync with Hauge and each other, as happens with players who’ve performed and recorded together for a while. It shows up on the uptempo tracks like the opener “Strir” (Struggle) of course, but perhaps even more on meditative tracks like “Vi Er” (We Are), the bassist and drummer both stepping outside the bounds of strict timekeeping but never distracting from the needs of the piece.
“Karja” is distinctive, with Hauge’s piano line stuttering and restarting rather like early works by The Bad Plus, as Collins plays a walking line on bass and Glännestrand pursues a slightly different rhythmic direction on drums. I really enjoy “Rukla” with its jaunty melody bookending a lengthy section of quietly playful improvised exploration. And the closer “Mange av oss” (Many Of Us) is utterly delightful, with its uplifting sing-along melody and Glännestrand’s energetic percussion.
New York bassist Collins is relocating back to the U.S.A. as this album is being released, to be succeeded by Estonian Kertu Aer for an autumn tour. Here’s hoping this lovely trio continues in a similar vein going forward with the new lineup.
(ECM, 2025)
(Hubro, 2025)
