Modest Trio

Recorded at the same time as Pictures at an Exhibition – by Modest Trio – Mussorgsky Portrait and The Double finds veteran pianist Vladimir Miller joined by close friend, pianist and producer Steve Plews. Here the two present a mercurial portrait of Mussorgsky and a collection of improvisations and compositions inspired by the novella The Double by Fyodor Dostoevsky. There are echoes of Cecil Taylor, influences of Don Pullen, Jaki Byard, Bill Evans – both pianists are lovers of contemporary Jazz piano, referring to their heroes but always retaining their own style.

Other than a set in 1957, this long-out-of-print LP was guitarist Jim Hall's debut as a leader. The 29-year-old Hall was not exactly an unknown name at the time, having played with the Original Chico Hamilton Quintet and the Jimmy Giuffre Three; he was still a year away from joining Sonny Rollins. Subtitled "The Modest Jazz Trio," the band on this date consists of Hall, bassist Red Kelly, and Red Mitchell quite effectively playing piano (he was usually a bassist). The combination works quite well, performing what was essentially straight-ahead jazz. Originally, the unit was only supposed to record the "Good Friday Blues" for a blues anthology album, but the music felt so strong that the trio cut a full album in one day, performing three standards, two Mitchell originals and Bill Harris' "Bill Not Phil."

"Traumerei" is a German word that means daydream or reverie. It is the title song on this eleven track CD by Trio X of Sweden. It is also a perfect description of the music herein, played lovingly by Lennart Simonsson on piano, Per V Johansson on bass, and Joakim Ekberg on drums. "Traumerei" (Prophone 2012). On the subdued pieces the drumming is subtle even as it measures the beat, and provides nice touches of color particularly with the brushes. A lot of the slower songs fit into the chamber jazz category, lovely and ethereal. But there are also some quiet pieces with a swing beat, and definitely upbeat tunes as well.

Schumann’s Album für die Jugend, Op. 68, of 1848 appears to be a collection of simple teaching pieces for children. But its unassuming exterior hides a wealth of inter-connected references: to Bach and to William Blake (whose Songs of Innocence and Experience it shadows), and to the life of the Romantic artist as reflected in nature and the passage of the seasons. Anssi Karttunen’s transcription for string trio brings a textural subtlety that enhances the unsuspected layers of meaning in Schumann’s modest miniatures – revealed, over 170 years after their composition, as an essential Romantic manifesto. The Zebra Trio consists of the Austrian violinist Ernst Kovacic, Canadian violist Steven Dann and Finnish cellist Anssi Karttunen, each bringing a vast experience in chamber music, in different styles and in working with living composers to the world of the string trio. The Zebra Trio has always mixed familiar master-pieces with new works and transcriptions, combining all of these in creative ways in their concerts.