Stained Glass

• Geoff Lapp Trio, Stained Glass (Elephant Records, 2006)
• Tri-Fi, Postcards (2007)
• Steve Allee Trio, Colors (Owl Studios, 2007)

With recent acclaimed releases from high-powered pianists (Keith Jarrett, McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock) attracting deserved attention, it’s easy to overlook some exciting recordings from new and less familiar artists who nevertheless exert considerable command over their 88 keys. Anyone seeking something a little off the beaten path will find much to enjoy in this trio of piano trio recordings from the past year.

Geoff Lapp Trio, Stained Glass

A native of Montreal, Geoff Lapp studied at McGill and started his career in a pop vein, moving into jazz about 25 years ago. Although he has worked with such artists as Paquito d’Rivera, Richie Cole, Sonny Fortune and Slide Hampton, Lapp is best known in the Canadian and particularly Montreal jazz community, where “anyone who has frequented any of the city’s jazz club’s knows Geoff Lapp is synonymous with quality musicianship, taste and flexibility” (Montreal Gazette). Stained Glass is Lapp's first as trio leader, featuring fellow Canadians with McGill resumes, bassist Paul Johnston and drummer David Laing, and served as my personal introduction to the pianist's exquisite voicings and inventive compositions. While it seems he uses a laundry list of harmonic and rhythmic devices, the music never seems crowded with ideas as it all flows peacefully, as if the clever structures of Monk have found a home within the lyricism of Evans, with landscaping courtesy of Fred Hersch, Kenny Barron and Keith Jarrett, and particularly evoking Lynne Arriale.

Goff Lapp

The covers are hardly standard regardless of familiarity: “Elsa” gently swings with slight hesitations, trills and triplets that propel it forward, recalling Bill Evans, Johnston’s bass solo an authoritative yet lyrical complement to the keyboard. On Rodgers and Hart’s “With a Song in My Heart,” Lapp’s bit of staccato added to his lines gives this more bounce than is often the case. Laing’s chiming and brushed fills add charm and swing, and his back and forth with Lapp offers a casebook of diverse drum phrases. Strayhorn’s “Day Dream” is simply exquisite times three, the theme flowing like liquid passing through fine crystal. The trio makes a chirpy run at “Sweet Lorraine” before closing out the set with an angular “The Party’s Over,” Lapp again in total control of filigree phrasing, Johnston steering the pulse along a fine edge, and Laing occasionally punctuating his own shimmer with a little crackle-pop. And like any good party, we linger here as a long as possible, holding on to that last note for just another moment.

Tri-Fi, Postcards

Tri-Fi, (L-R): Keith Hall, Matthew Fries, Phil Palombi.

Matthew Fries’ originals cover nearly half the disc, his compositions tending to the more cerebral, contemplative, slower paced tracks. Opening with “The Pumpkin,” Fries introduces us to his dexterity in creating intricate but accessible lines over a solid vamp foundation. Hall’s playful percussion inserts new energy from assorted tactics, building in intensity over the repetitive main lines and ending in a thundering clap. Fries’ “Postcards From Abroad” provides the recording’s title, a rather subtle tune where repetitive, yet lyrical, exploration rules. “Hatteras Reflections” is a slow, meandering ballad initiated by Palombi’s solo of slightly whiney double tones. Fries steps in over the bass chords with a single line lope, and the ensuing interplay between bass and piano is exquisite in timing and harmony. Fries gives his “Orchid” a solitary dark and lush beginning, romantic in the historic sense. Steve Wilson guests on soprano sax, sailing gently over piano and bass, the nucleus of his orbit tight, the contours of his terrain gentle—it all stays close to home but the emotion travels far. On Fries’ final contribution, “Penns Creek,” Palombi’s solo doubletimes the pace, a nice contrast to the balladic pianist, as is the ensembles’ mid-track shift in energy and more forward motion.

As one might anticipate from a drummer, Keith Hall’s compositions lean more toward deeper swing, more percussive piano lines, and generally more playful rhythms. On “Wisdom…1st Things 1st”, Steve Wilson makes his first of three guest appearances, his soprano sax a good fit to Fries’ tight meanders and Hall’s furious and relentless attack. The drummer’s “Creative Force” opens with his stop-and-start antics, joined shortly by Fries with an equally halting presentation of a Monkish blues, using a deep ostinato in his left hand and quirky, sharp-angled figures in the right. There’s even a little whiff of Cecil Taylor hanging out among the flow of ideas as Fries and Hall interlock musical minds, the blues groove becoming more prominent, less edgy melodically and more so rhythmically before they return to the opening exchange. Hall’s third composition, “Grace,” is upbeat, showing off Fries’ diverse talents and moods. Of course Hall is prominent as well, working into a frenzy as he rumbles though Fries’ shimmering final bar.

Phil Palombi contributes a pair of tracks filled with swinging and even humorous motifs. On “Copenhagen,” sequences of repetitive phrases evolve into a swinging, upbeat tune with the bassist doubletiming his pulse while Fries keep up and then some. Palombi’s solo pushes a landslide of ideas over a slowed-down piano line before the trio returns to its earlier pace. The closing track, also the longest at over 9 minutes, finds the trio doing the “Heathrow Shuffle,” the bassist laying down a bluesy, backwater groove. He’s soon joined by Wilson on alto sax, adding a funk touch that evokes Lee Morgan’s “Sidewinder.” Wilson’s lines spiral in and out like a slinky while Fries is at his most charmingly swinging—this could be a soundtrack accompaniment to a zany classic film. The surprise guest here is Tri-Fi’s frequent employer, Curtis Stigers, in the spoken role of a Heathrow official, heard warning Hall that he can’t go through the security line, Hall begging his bandmates not to leave him behind.

Many journeys fill these Postcards, and each sends an engaging message, giving us good reason to travel with Tri-Fi again and again.

Steve Allee Trio, Colors

Colors

Colors is Allee’s first trio outing, but after one listen you might think this was his format of choice. Among the ten tracks, all but two are Allee originals; the pair of covers includes the Jerome Kern “Yesterdays” and Johnny Mercer’s “Come Rain or Come Shine.” Adding to the elegance are two stalwart sidemen on the New York scene, bassist Bill Moring and drummer Tim Horner, with whom Allee continuously engages in conversation and complementary “colors.”

Steve Allee

The covers: The drama of “Yesterdays” is found in subtle choices of harmony and rhythm, a swinging, mildly upbeat rendition pushed by a steady pulse from Moring and Horner. There is nothing subtle about the rhythmic experiments of “Come Rain or Come Shine,” however; filled with hesitations, Allee moves as if traversing an obstacle course, stopping here and redirecting there. Horner keeps up a more steady line of feathery rattles while Allee /Moring come and go until smoothing out into a somewhat more conventional swinging pulse midway.

More trio works from Steve Allee, please.