3 SpiritsThis program of music, '3 Spirits' came about as a result of my on going duo performances with violinist Rob Thomas and bassist Ron McClure, over the past few years. We had attempted to schedule some trio gigs but three busy schedules made it a bit difficult.It was not until November of 2005 that we finally played together as a trio. From the first note of the first tune it was as I knew it would be, telepathic. We decided that night to make this recording.
The music...While not foreign to any of us, recording without drums possesses certain unique properties.
The 'time' is always a major factor in any jazz performance (or any music performance for that matter). Rob, Ron and I believe that the time is the responsibility of all the players involved, resulting in a 'group time'. Having one of the all time greatest bassists Ron McClure, and violinist Rob Thomas, who is also an excellent bassist present, made things that much easier. My being a jazz guitarist working in New York City, home of the 'small gig' has led me to play innumerable drummer-less gigs backing vocalists and horn players, and to duet with many guitarists and bassists.
One of the risks of this line-up is the tendency to fill the gaps left by the absence of the drummer. One of the benefits is the sonically open quality of the music due to those same gaps. I believe that we avoided the former and took advantage of the latter.
Collective improvising, whether one is accompanying or soloing, is the north star of our journey and has resulted in music that could only have been made in that moment by the three of us.
The tunes...'107WEST', 'Zoey's Loft', 'Addio', 'all3things', and 'Another Fall, Another Spring' are my original compositions; the standards 'My Romance', 'It's You Or No One', 'The Nearness of You', and 'These Foolish Things' are all favorites of mine and feature my vocals.
The remaining two tunes are 'be-bop' lines written over the harmonies of familiar standards: 'Donna Lee' credited to Charlie Parker, but believed to have been penned by Miles Davis, is a barn burner romp on the chord changes of 'Back Home in Indiana', and '317 E. 32nd' is Lennie Tristano's quirky yet brilliant comment on the harmony of 'Out of Nowhere'.
The musicians...Rob Thomas is a virtuoso violinist, bassist and Berkley School of Music professor.
His many credits include ongoing roles as violinist in the legendary, ultra modern jazz group 'String Trio of New York', and 'The Mahavishnu Project'; performances with Joe Henderson; Bobby Hutcherson; Mose Allison; 'The John Handy Quintet'; etc. For more, visit his website: robthomasviolin .
Ron McClure's career in essence tracks the history of modern jazz from the early 1960's to the present. His curriculum vitae is awe inspiring, ranging from Maynard Ferguson to Woody Shaw to Randy Brecker; from Wynton Kelly to Keith Jarrett to Herbie Hancock; from Wes Montgomery ...
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