
Motian! Lovano! Frisell! A triumvirate, not a trio.
I’m borrowing the rhetorical flourish above from the late
Joyce Wein, who gave it to her husband George for his liner notes to Money
Jungle (i.e., Ellington! Mingus! Roach!).
The conceit works here too, even if its barking tone sounds flashier than it
should. For drummer Paul Motian, saxophonist Joe Lovano and guitarist Bill
Frisell, a small gesture often means more than a sweeping one.
Last night I heard the Trio at the Village Vanguard, where
they are wrapping up a two-week engagement. The music was nothing less than a
serious astonishment, and if I trusted myself I’d say this was the most potent
set of theirs I have ever heard. Honestly, though, I’m sure I
say that nearly every time. The level of concentration, intuition and flat-out
beauty in this band is a rare and stunning thing. I’m inclined to agree with
guitarist Nels Cline, who recently opined to me that this is simply “one of the
greatest improviser trios of all time.”