Jay Epstein©Andrea Canter

Long Ago was the first recording from drummer Jay Epstein, with pianist Bill Carrothers and bassist Anthony Cox.In describing the effort, Jazz Times noted “energetic, sometimes dark and eerie, peak musical moments abound with seasoned artistry.” But that was long ago (1997)—we’ve waited more than a decade for lightning to strike twice for this magical trio. Finally Epstein, Carrothers and Cox come back with Easy Company (GoneJazz). These artists are not new to the Twin Cities or national jazz scene or to each other; each has established his reputation through countless recordings, tours, and performance at diverse venues.

Jay Epstein is one of the busiest of local jazz musicians, often in the company vocalists (Christine Rosholt, Connie Evingson) and top instrumentalists (Bill Carrothers, Dean Magraw, Gordy Johnson, Benny Weinbeck, Mary Louise Knutson). He had a long-standing gig with the Phil Aaron Trio at the Hotel Sofitel in Bloomington. Jay studied polyrhythmic concepts in Manhattan with Barry Altschul (drummer in Chick Corea's “Circle”), played in a house band for five years on several cruise lines, and has shared the stage with Barney Kessel, Roseanna Vitro, Manfredo Fest, Sheila Jordan, Terry Gibbs, JoAnne Brackeen, Ernie Watts, Karrin Allyson, Kenny Werner, Howard Levy, Toots Thielmans, Avishai Cohen, Giacomo Aula, and Sarah Vaughan. Before landing in Minneapolis, Jay lived in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Oklahoma City, and Miami. Today, Jay’s busy schedule includes Red Planet, Impulso, Framework, Main Time. He appears on numerous recordings of artists such as Bill Carrothers, Laura Caviani, Chris Lomheim, Phil Aaron, Avishai Cohen, Dean Magraw, Nate Brown, Connie Evingson, Christine Rosholt and Klezmerica, and has appeared on seven international tours.

Bill Carrothers©Andrea Canter

Anthony Cox©Andrea Canter

Epstein and Cox have played creative music together since the 1970s, and Epstein and Carrothers first started playing together in the 1980s and continue to tour Europe with Bill’s “Armistice Band.” 

Easy Company

Although, in reviewing Long Ago, David Lewis (Cadence Magazine) described this ensemble as a “piano trio,” much of the success of Easy Company reflects the equity of the three voices, not any easy feat when Bill Carrothers is on the piano bench! Yet Carrothers has “easy company” when it comes to carrying the melodic line and improvisational expeditions, and each musician is as likely to lead as respond. As on Long Ago, the material for Easy Company is diverse in origin and mood: “standards” (as in classic and familiar, if significantly deviating from the originals) from the songbooks of Alec Wilder and Nat King Cole; covers of Carla Bley, Gary Peacock and Dean Magraw; reinventions of film tracks (John William’s Darth Vader theme from “Star Trek”) and rock hits (Cream’s “White Room”), and originals from Jay Epstein. Epstein closes the recording with a four-track “Forgotten Solider Suite” that combines two covers and two darkly inspired originals. 

Easy Company

“Imperial March” (John Williams’ track from Star Wars) opens the set, an introduction to Carrothers’ remarkable touch and extended harmonizations, while bass and drums ensure a driving force. Epstein ups the ante over Carrothers’ vamp with rolling thunder combinations of drums and cymbals, the track ending with some deep-end thoughts from Cox.  On Carla Bley’s “Ida Lupino,” Cox assertively leads into the tune in counterpoint to Carrothers’ lyrical phrasing and melodic passages from Epstein’s cymbals. At times it seems that songful invention comes from all three instruments. As is his habit, Carrothers weaves in snatches of other themes; Cox solos with horn-like dexterity and force, all the while Epstein coaxes a symphony from his kit, with a full range of dynamics and rhythms as well as tones. 

Dean Magraw’s “N.R. Chi” has all the quirky mystery of the composer, played out as a thick weave among three voices that come together as if a larger ensemble, with firebrand percussion, bottom-register antics on keys and deep contrasting basslines. Danger lurks around each phrase and one imagines this track as the sonic background of a modern thriller.  On Epstein’s “Giza” (which he describes as “reflecting the mysteries of the pyramids”), energy flows like the Nile, thanks to the drummer’s constant motion, while Carrothers and Cox create a dark dynamic. Cox’s solo adds to the mystery, resonating like a human voice. Another volcanic bassist, Gary Peacock, composed “Major Major,” here featuring gorgeous trio interplay, with the lyricism of Cox and Carrothers awash in a sea of cymbal activity. “Moon and Sand” is one of Alec Wilder’s most elegant efforts, ditto Bill Carrothers. 

One of the most interesting choices for Easy Company, Cream’s “White Room” from 1968 is a tour de force for Carrothers, the harmonies initially suggesting Marilyn Crispell, but the complexity of purpose and angular runs are purely Bill. Cox travels quickly beneath the keyboard and Epstein varies his tactics, revving up as Carrothers slows down, as Cox flutters. The leader takes an electric solo over the bass/piano vamp, the track resolving in a gentle settling of sonic dust. Nat King Cole turned “Never Let Me Go” into a classic, but if you are familiar with Bill Carrothers, you know he will take some unexpected turns, add extended voicings, and turn the familiar a few degrees left or right. Cox provides a gentle pulse, his solo here lonely and longing. Epstein’s "Pick Three" is billed as a drum solo, although all three musicians participate. It’s a quick trapset excursion of splatters and thumps. The drummer’s “Giza Plateau” is also a very brief interlude marked by the very deep and exotic lines of Anthony Cox. 

The trio closes the set with the Forgotten Soldier Suite, Epstein’s sequencing of four seemingly disparate compositions that here form a haunting tale. “Midnight, the Stars and You” was pushed to familiarity via The Shining but dates back to 1932, finding the musicians in full swing, each with his shining moment as they drift farther and farther afield, then return to nostalgic swing. The story takes a dark turn on Epstein’s “Sgt. Rock” as Cox and Carrothers in tandem create what sounds like a badly tuned bass with loose strings over Epstein’s eerie percussion effects. Cox generates some scrapes and buzzes while Carrothers creates his own sonic experiments (using prepared piano?). Each musician contributes his own dark fantasy, as danger lurks around each note. “For All We Know” is yet another reimagination of a familiar standard, the ambient clang of prepared piano suggesting Ethan Iverson launching a rock hit. The trio as a whole gives this a Bad Plus attitude, with driving (though never overpowering) drums and a steady bass pulse that hints at tragedy. Most brooding and wistful, Epstein’s “Maus” offers reflections on Art Spiegelman’s book about the Holocaust, Cox’s funereal arco bass and the composer’s quiet thundering offsetting a dirge from Carrothers.  

If the title Easy Company suggests relaxed simplicity, be assured this is merely a semantic illusion. Whenever one is in the presence of artists such as Jay Epstein, Bill Carrothers and Anthony Cox, the ease of their rapport and the clarity of their effort only help the listener focus on the multiple layers of their creations, whether reconstructions of familiar fare or collaborative explorations of new material. Each artist provides a magical melodicism through the resources of his own instrument, each instrument uniquely contributes to the palette of harmony, rhythm and dynamics that collectively yields “Easy Company” and compelling listening. 

Easy Company is available through CD Baby at www.cdbaby.com

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