2-CD set. This intimate trio date finds old friends Peter Erskine and Alan Pasqua joining new friend David Carpenter for two full discs of live chamber jazz of the utmost sensitivity. Recorded at Rocco in California's posh Bel Air, the listener is invited into the trio's circle of familiarity for a delightful set of mostly originals, that displays the highest level of subtlety and vitality.
Rather than flashing their dexterity at every turn, the three opt for a more restrained approach, sticking mostly to ballad material such as the opening "To Love Again," or esoteric works such as the adventurous "Pure & Simple." But when it's time to swing, they stretch out with gusto on the freewheeling "Riff Raff," and the Cole Porter classic "All of You." The trio's power of communication is palpable, as if each member were mentally plugged into the other by an unseen connection. Both Erskine's spirited "Bulgaria" and Pasqua's exploratory "Jerry Goldsmith" prove that this is interactive music making of the highest order. |