Alliterative optimism affirmatively speaking: More than five years whooshes by. Reason for such chin stroking is thinking of Groove du jour because the Yes (with an exclamation mark) Trio are back with a studio album succeeding their earlier work. It's taken just under a couple of years since recording in April 2022 for the album to get released.
Recorded in a place called Malakoff in France, a short commute away from the centre of Paris to the studio, as for the playing principals they remain the same: firstly Ali Jackson - you may well recall from the drummer's work with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra; secondly, star pianist Aaron Goldberg - The Now transfixed us in 2014; and thirdly bassist Omer Avital who contributes tunes like our currently playlisted 'Sheikh Ali.'
On 'Shufflonzo' if you know Brit pianist Gabriel Latchin's work a bit then you will dig Goldberg here a lot. Standards this time are a sprightly take on Coleman and Leigh's 'The Best is yet to Come' and Irving Berlin's 'How Deep is the Ocean' begun by very brief solo drum work. Jackson's stately bossa 'Sanción' is great. While still preferring Groove du jour, nevertheless, this latest is not without its merits given how high the bar is set. Spring Sings at its best thrives the more languid it sounds. l-r: Omer Avital, Aaron Goldberg, Ali Jackson. Photo: press
Tags: Reviews