Recorded on April 14, 2007 by Nick Lloyd at Firehouse 12, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Featuring Carlo Morena on piano, Joe Fonda on bass and George Schuller on drums with guest Ilse Pfeifer on vocals on two tracks. I don't really know Carlo Morena or Ms. Ilse Pfeifer, but I do know Joe Fonda and George Schuller very well from the dozens of sessions that we've heard through the years, both together and apart. Joe Fonda seems to always find the best of European musicians to collaborate with on many of his discs. Starting with "The Wish," a title track from an old Fonda/Stevens Group disc, this superb piano trio is in fine form with Joe's superb bass at the center. His solo on this tune is something wonderful to behold. Some of this is actually very laid back and delightfully somber. All three members of the trio contribute compositions and each one is well selected. On "Mirror Images," the piano plays exquisitely while the bass and drums swirl around him in more turbulent circles. I dig the spoken word vocals (In English) on the title track, which fits well with the calm music that surrounds her soft, expressive voice. What is unique about this disc is that Joe's bass is most often at the center of the trio, consistently pushing, pulling and probing and setting the central force for the rest of the trio to adhere to. These songs are often quite elegant yet inventive and tastefully done. - Bruce Lee Gallanter (DMG) |