ANTONIO SANCHEZ - Three Times Three
Cam Jazz, CAMJ 7879-2 (2 C/D set)
Antonio Sanchez (drums and additional keyboards) with:-
Trio 1: Brad Mehldau (piano) Matt Brewer (acoustic bass)
Trio 2: John Scofield (guitar) Christian McBride (electric and acoustic bass)
Trio 3: Joe Lovano (tenor sax) John Patitucci (acoustic bass)
Recorded in New York in October and December 2013
Sanchez , through his work with Pat Metheny and Gary Burton –to name but two, is now well established as a premier league drummer/leader and in this fascinating enterprise in which he heads up three separate trios in collaboration with some of the biggest beasts of contemporary jazz he reveals himself as a force to be reckoned with.
An agile performer adept at every trick and lick in the modern percussionist’s bag he maintains a torrent of polyrhythmic drumming that fills every pore in the musical tegument driving his soloists forward like a veritable galley master. At times this is highly stimulating as in the brilliant set with John Scofield whose spectral harmonics and slinky blues progressions contrast so effectively with the rolling thunder coming from the traps. The shuffle beat behind the guitarist’s fractured blues lines in `Nooks and Crannies` is particularly tasty and a clear highlight of the set.
It works less well in the context of Mehldau’s dense, two handed virtuosity where it appears congested and at times rather noisy overwhelming the pianist’s own somewhat percussive style of playing. Notwithstanding this tendency to hyperactivity, if the listener is prepared to be immersed in the sound the overall effect can be powerful and when occasion demands, as in the haunting adagio, `Big Dream`, Sanchez can apply restraint with a mastery equal to that of his more muscular accomplishments
The third set finds him backing tenorist Joe Lovano whose post Coltrane proclamations are served well by the boiling turmoil flowing under him and the disc ends with a gloriously ramshackle version of Monk’s `I Mean You` which takes in every stylistic influence contained within his post modern interpretation of the tenor tradition.
Each trio gets three tunes, one standard and two originals composed by the leader: there are no pure drum solos as such but a couple of simulating bass ‘n drum sequences, the one featuring Christian McBride being particularly arresting. As you would expect from musicians playing at the top of their game the bassists also make a formidable impact and to have all this contemporary talent featured within a single album release is sufficient reason to put this elegantly packaged Cam Jazz release on your wish list of upcoming purchases. The Scofield segment justifies this on its own but followers of Mehldau and Lovano will want also want to keep up to date with their latest utterances.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
Cam Jazz, CAMJ 7879-2 (2 C/D set)
Antonio Sanchez (drums and additional keyboards) with:-
Trio 1: Brad Mehldau (piano) Matt Brewer (acoustic bass)
Trio 2: John Scofield (guitar) Christian McBride (electric and acoustic bass)
Trio 3: Joe Lovano (tenor sax) John Patitucci (acoustic bass)
Recorded in New York in October and December 2013
Sanchez , through his work with Pat Metheny and Gary Burton –to name but two, is now well established as a premier league drummer/leader and in this fascinating enterprise in which he heads up three separate trios in collaboration with some of the biggest beasts of contemporary jazz he reveals himself as a force to be reckoned with.
An agile performer adept at every trick and lick in the modern percussionist’s bag he maintains a torrent of polyrhythmic drumming that fills every pore in the musical tegument driving his soloists forward like a veritable galley master. At times this is highly stimulating as in the brilliant set with John Scofield whose spectral harmonics and slinky blues progressions contrast so effectively with the rolling thunder coming from the traps. The shuffle beat behind the guitarist’s fractured blues lines in `Nooks and Crannies` is particularly tasty and a clear highlight of the set.
It works less well in the context of Mehldau’s dense, two handed virtuosity where it appears congested and at times rather noisy overwhelming the pianist’s own somewhat percussive style of playing. Notwithstanding this tendency to hyperactivity, if the listener is prepared to be immersed in the sound the overall effect can be powerful and when occasion demands, as in the haunting adagio, `Big Dream`, Sanchez can apply restraint with a mastery equal to that of his more muscular accomplishments
The third set finds him backing tenorist Joe Lovano whose post Coltrane proclamations are served well by the boiling turmoil flowing under him and the disc ends with a gloriously ramshackle version of Monk’s `I Mean You` which takes in every stylistic influence contained within his post modern interpretation of the tenor tradition.
Each trio gets three tunes, one standard and two originals composed by the leader: there are no pure drum solos as such but a couple of simulating bass ‘n drum sequences, the one featuring Christian McBride being particularly arresting. As you would expect from musicians playing at the top of their game the bassists also make a formidable impact and to have all this contemporary talent featured within a single album release is sufficient reason to put this elegantly packaged Cam Jazz release on your wish list of upcoming purchases. The Scofield segment justifies this on its own but followers of Mehldau and Lovano will want also want to keep up to date with their latest utterances.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
