About Gordy Johnson

The Pianists

Photo by Andrea Canter

Giacomo Aula first appeared in Minnesota accompanying saxophonist Doug Little last summer, and with his own "Midwest" quartet at the 2004 Twin Cities Hot Summer Jazz Festival. Born and raised in Lagonegro, Italy, he has performed and/or recorded with a range of artists including James Newton, Peter Erskine, Enrico Rava, and a long list of Italian Jazz stars. Notes Soulsearch Music, "Aula's romantic sensibility and passionate style brings to the classic format of the jazz quartet a quality reminiscent of the late great Art Tatum... a fresh, compelling and international look at contemporary jazz."

Matthew Fries has appeared at the Dakota accompanying vocalist Stacy Kent. Winner of the 1997 Great American Jazz Piano Competition, Fries has performed with jazz artists including Tony Reedus, Charlie Persip, Bob Dorough, Steve Nelson, Cecil McBee, and Curtis Stigers, and recorded a live album with Bill Mobley's "Mobscene." The late pianist James Williams described Fries as "...one of the bright young stars in the galaxy of pianists who will lead us into the 21st century."

Chicago-based Jon Weber, whose versatile pianism is matched only by his encyclopedic knowledge of jazz history (which he eagerly shares), has become familiar to local audiences as the "house pianist" for the Twin Cities Hot Summer Jazz Festival. His most recent release, Simple/Complex (Second Century Jazz, 2004), has received rave reviews, including comments from the Australian Age: "The tunes are mind-bendingly complex with overlapping time signatures, accent shifts, and rhythmic feels that swerve from Cuban montunos to Indian tabla patterns to straight-ahead jazz at the blink of an eye." Weber will be on hand for the CD Release Party at the Dakota on January 16^th.

Benny Weinbeck has performed for over 25 years in venues around the world, working with some of the top musicians and producers in the music industry. His four self-produced recordings highlight his compositions as well as his piano chops. Involved in film scoring, corporate projects, and teaching at Macalester College, Weinbeck appears weekly at D'Amico Cucina in downtown Minneapolis in duo with Gordy Johnson, and appeared on the first edition of Trios.

The Drummers

Photo by Andrea Canter

Jay Epstein is a veteran of small ensembles throughout the Twin Cities. In addition to a long-standing gig at the Hotel Sofitel with the Phil Aaron Trio, Epstein has played and/or recorded with everyone in sight, from vocalists Lucia Newell, Leslie Ball, and Christine Rosholt to pianists Chris Lomheim, Laura Caviani, and Bill Carrothers. Of his Igmod recording, Long Ago, Dave Lewis (Cadence) noted that it "showcases Epstein's command of complex rhythmic dynamics as his dazzling cymbal and snare work extends the lineage of Tony Williams and Jack DeJohnette." Epstein has appeared on all three volumes of Trios.

Steve Gadd built his reputation as a member of Chick Corea's first Return to Forever band, and toured/recorded in the 1970s and 80s with Paul Simon and Al Di Meola. He's been a favorite drummer for vocalists including Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Barbra Striesand, Paul McCartney, and James Taylor, whose recent Midwest tour brought Gadd to town and into the recording studio on a day "off" with Gordy Johnson. Noted Chick Corea, "Every drummer wants to play like Gadd because he plays perfect... He has brought orchestral and compositional thinking to the drum kit while at the same time having a great imagination and a great ability to swing."

A former student of Ed Blackwell, Phil Hey has played with such artists as David Liebman, Toots Thielemans, the Mel Lewis Orchestra, and Chet Baker. Today he is one of the busiest drummers in town, fronting his own quartet and often in the company of Pete Whitman's X-Tet and Departure Point, the Chris Lomheim Trio, and a long list of vocalists and other artists. In his "spare" time, he teaches jazz drum at Macalester College. Hey was featured on the previous Trios, V.2.

Joe Pulice won The Northern Midwest Regional Louie Bellson/Slingerland Drum Contest in 1979, later touring with Woody Herman and his Thundering Herd during Woody's 50th Anniversary Tour. Winner of two Minnesota Jazz Music Awards (Best Jazz Vibist and as a member of world-renowned drummer Eric Kamau Gravatt's group "Kamanari"), Pulice has played with Stan Getz, Slide Hampton, David Liebman, Jack McDuff, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and Harry Connick Jr. On the Twin Cities scene for 25 years, Pulice is a mainstay of the JazzMN Big Band and Ellington Echoes. He appeared on the first Trios and will be at the Dakota for the Release Party for Version 3.0.

Trios Version 3.0

Version 3.0 has some similarities and some striking differences compared to the first two recordings. First, Johnson includes none of his own compositions the third time out, which is disappointing given the lovely "Nocturne" on V.2 and engaging "Lo Siento" on the first edition. However, as on the earlier sets, he does include the compositions of his bandmates. Among the pianists, only Weinbeck appeared on an earlier Trios, while Epstein, Hey, and Pulice have held the drum chair in previous editions.

Despite the many different players on each volume, there typically are three groupings that perform most of the music, and there is a strong sense of empathy generated throughout Version 3.0 as on the earlier Trios, even in those situations where there was little or no opportunity to develop as an ensemble (the combinations of Weinbeck and Gadd, and Weber and Pulice, had not met prior to the recording session). Only one track, Aula's "Canzone Por Nino Rota," had been played by these same musicians before, during Aula's Midwest tour.

On Version 3.0, like its predecessors, the spark of spontaneous interaction helps maintain an essential element of intrigue over the course of a set that emphasizes lush melodies and warm interplay over burning groove. Although there are four different combinations of trios, the entire set flows rather seamlessly, like a single suite with multiple movements. Toninho Horta's "Mountain Flight" offers a strong opening track, with Johnson's intro guitar-like line announcing his commanding presence for the rest of the set. Weber's flurry of notes flows smoothly with definitively articulated ascending and descending runs, simultaneously energetic and melodic.

Fries is most impressive on Irving Berlin's "The Best Thing for You," providing playful melodicism as well as some dramatic rhythmic turns that are nicely filled by Hey's filigree brushwork. Throughout this track, Johnson engages in some luminous counterpoint with Fries and a swinging solo of his own, and the piano and drums provide some delightful conversation as well.

From the git-go, Weber deconstructs the melody of the Kern and Hammerstein gem, "Nobody Else But Me," with Johnson floating his basslines under Weber's spiraling lyric while Pulice keeps up a steady sidetalk. Johnson offers one of his strongest solos of the set, his improvisation nearly as intricate as Weber's.

On Jobim's beautiful "Zingaro," Hey's brushes at their most luxurious and Fries' melodic lines are most songful. Johnson's solo of lyrical single lines, occasionally fed by some chord embellishments, melts into the piano like butter. A touch of Brazil (and Jobim) continues into the following track with Weinbeck's "Samba De Flora," a gentle tune that reflects the long-term partnership between the pianist and bassist, enriched by Gadd's accelerating percussion vamp.

Photo by Andera Canter
Gordy Johnson has long had a penchant for making the bass a featured instrument and not a mere back-up or rhythmic sidekick. This is never more evident than on Fries' darkly majestic "Orchid," where the richly resonant bassline is echoed by Hey's drum kit, with his crystalline rides adding subtle texture. Fries keeps the lines simple but elegant.

The most upbeat track of the set finds Weber, Pulice and Johnson engaging in a zippy, swinging reading of Cole Porter's "Let's Misbehave," and while they never quite break away, this trio lights a fire in the hearth. After an early masterful solo from Johnson, Weber takes the hand-off and runs up and down the keyboard, tossing the baton to Pulice who executes a bright, if somewhat understated, flurry of his own.

Giacomo Aula's "Canzon Por Nino Rota" is played here by Aula's "Midwest Trio," the one track on which the threesome had a previous outing during Aula's summer visit. "Canzon" is marked by interesting rhythmic shifts, an in-unison piano/bass line, and an especially effective solo from Gordy Johnson that maintains the essence of the melody. Epstein creates some urgency with counter rhythms, and Aula adds some lyrical slurs and ostinato to bring the work to a close.

On Junior Mance's "Jubilation," Friese, Hey, and Johnson create a gospel-infused, swinging partnership, Friese's touch light but exuberant, and Johnson moving his lines at a race-walk clip, while Hey provides a rolling combination of snare, bass, and cymbal. Moving from gospel to blues, Benny Weinbeck's closing track, "Laughing Blues," provides a nice follow-up to "Jubilation." A celebratory "happy blues," the track features a deep bubbling bass from Johnson and the steady pulse of Steve Gadd, while Weinbeck maintains a stride-infected left hand under a boogie-woogie drenched right. Johnson's solo shows off the bassist's skill in painting an embellished melody combining single lines and chords that work the instrument from top to bottom.

Trios Version 3.0, like its older siblings, takes the high road of swinging melodic improvisation, empathic interplay, tasteful touch, and seamless transitions. This is the sort of sophisticated accessibility that generates an immediate response from the listener, yet reveals additional layers of nuance on repeated encounters. Matthew Zimmerman and Wild Sound studios have again produced an impeccable recording worthy of the musicianship. For anyone interested in a jazz revue that takes the trio tradition of Nat King Cole, Oscar Peterson, or Bill Evans into the 21^st century, Trios Version 3.0 offers many delights.

Trios Version 3.0 is available at local record outlets and on Gordon Johnson's website at www.tonalities.com. The CD Release Party will be held on Sunday, January 16, 7 pm at the Dakota (www.dakotacooks.com). Gordy Johnson has already announced a forthcoming Trios Version 3.5, which will be "one very special modern progressive and wacky jazz piano trio, with my far out buddies, pianist Bill Carrothers and drummer David King."