Overall, I’ve Been Ringing You presents a subdued mood, but such a gorgeous mood it is! We can find much delight in the (mostly) somber tones that recall Bill Evans and Fred Hersch, but leaning farther outside. Actually this is unmistakably the maverick Bill Carrothers from start to finish, pleasingly the best jazz sensibilities of Billy Peterson, and surprisingly, a side of Dave King we hope to know better. Seven standards, from jazz classics (“Lonely Woman”) to songbook gemstones (“So in Love”) to Broadway charms (“People Will Say We’re In Love”) are given unique reworkings, while the set ends with the title track, a collaborative invention that offers a perfect summation of the whole.

 

Gordon Jenkins’ “Goodbye” provides an apt preview, King’s scraping cymbal creaking like a tired hinge in a haunted house as Carrothers’ slowly stated inquiry floats over Peterson’s deep bass echoes. Carrothers is a master of space, as if separating each note into multiple ideas. King’s ongoing horn-like tones support Peterson’s haunting heartbeat. “Lonely Woman” follows, another slow, spacious track, King laying back with a faint shimmer of snare and cymbal, Peterson inserting the outline of pulse. As the track slowly gains momentum, Carrothers weaves spikey clusters and chords; King stokes his furnace with percussive flutters that fill in-between Peterson’s dark comments. This Woman is indeed Lonely tonight!

 

“So In Love” gets off to a rambunctious start a la King before Carrothers launches the melody with a minor key overlay, thickly laced with his off-quadrant yet elegant voicings. Peterson rumbles from way down below, moving forward with an extended, agile, songful solo. King’s bass-throated toms set the tone for “Autumn Serenade,” playing off Peterson to add thick syncopation to Carrothers’ bluesy balladry. Peterson introduces “If I Should Lose You,” adding his lush voicings to Carrothers’ harmonies. King’s continually evolving percussion signals the underlying energy, fueling Carrothers’ shifting tempos and insertions of tumbling runs and dramatic hesitations.

 

Two staples of Broadway get new life. “People Will Say We’re in Love” (Oklahoma) provides a welcome shift in pace and mood, with Peterson and King rumbling through the intro, the bassist starring throughout with a deliciously swinging drive. Staying on Broadway but in a wistful mode, “This Nearly Was Mine” (South Pacific) is arguably far more compelling than the original, and what is most beautiful here? Carrothers’ exquisite melodicism? Peterson’s contrapuntal commentary from both ends of the bass? Or King’s subtle timekeeping on the ride cymbal? Take your pick.  The ensemble’s collaboration on the title track soars like a hymn in its solemn reverence, Peterson sliding seamlessly into the spaces that Carrothers creates.

 

More than one reviewer has noted that Dave King is one of the most underappreciated drummers in jazz despite the high profile of The Bad Plus. The same can be said for each of these musicians—the prolific Bill Carrothers is recognized far more often in Europe than in his home territory; Billy Peterson was so long associated with Steve Miller and such that many do not realize he is one of the premier jazz bassists on earth.  Perhaps in this trio format, each will finally get that well-deserved recognition for his individual talents as well as finding their place as one of the most elegant jazz trios working today. Hopefully I’ve Been Ringing You is not just a magical one-off.

 

The Dave King Trio CD release party will be held at the Artists Quarter, October 19-20. The AQ is located at 408 St Peter Street in the lower level of the Hamm Building in downtown St Paul; sets at 9 pm ($15 cover); www.artistsquarter.com